About 37% of households in Nueces County are led by a single parent, and estimates suggest 80% of those are fatherless—meaning nearly one in three households in the area have no father figure at home.
"One of the biggest problems in our country right now—a recent U.S. census puts 18.5 million youth being raised in a home with no father figure," said Dave Cotham, executive director of Majesty Outdoors.
Majesty Outdoors is a faith-based mentorship program focused on reaching kids who are growing up without dads. The organization pairs volunteers with youth who lack father figures through activities like fishing trips, camping, and scuba certification—all provided at no cost thanks to donors and fundraisers.
"Nueces County actually used to be the highest county in the nation as far as kids being raised with no father figure in the home," Cotham said.
Studies link father absence to higher rates of poverty, crime, substance abuse, and school dropouts.
"Teen pregnancy, high school dropouts, incarceration, homelessness, drug abuse, poverty, gangs, gang violence, and suicide. All of those affect us," Cotham said.
The program aims to build confidence, character, and hope in these children's lives.
"With our program, we can't become the dad, but we put that fatherly figure in their life. And that's what our mentorship is about," Cotham said.
The organization believes their work is crucial for the community's future.
"Our future as a country and locally is dependent on what we're doing here... giving these kids that statistics are saying may not survive a chance and giving them hope," Cotham said.
The Majesty Outdoors location in Flour Bluff is scheduled to have its grand opening on October 3.
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