Fatherhood often comes with a heavy expectation for dads to be strong no matter what, but dads need support, too—especially when circumstances fall outside the norm.

The Special Fathers Network (SFN), founded by David Hirsch, supports fathers raising children with disabilities. The program is part of the 21st Century Dads Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to combatting father absence.

Hirsch, who was raised by a single mother, is an advocate for father involvement. The Chicago-born father of five founded the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, which was the
country’s first statewide nonprofit fatherhood organization, as well as the 21st Century Dads Foundation.

“Kids need so much more than just the financial support that a father provides,” Hirsch says. “They need to… be present physically, to be present emotionally and be present spiritually.”

On his mission to encourage fathers, Hirsch authored six books, including “21st Century Dads: A Father’s Journey to Break the Cycle of Father Absence” and five compilations from the SFN “Dad to Dad” podcast.

The podcast has more than 300 episodes so far, each one with a different father
talking about personal experiences and challenges covering topics from employment to autism and rare conditions.

Episode 163 features Jim Stovall, founder of the Narrative TV Network and an author and speaker. Stovall is best known for his book “The Ultimate Gift,” which was made into a feature film.

In the episode, Stovall, who is blind, talks about his upbringing, about learning he was going to lose his sight, about his friendship with Ray Charles and his journey to advocacy.

“This is somebody that I’ve admired from a distance for decades and decades, somebody who is just the most amazing role model for so many different people in situations,” Hirsch says.

Other episodes of the podcast tackle hard topics like the loss of a child.

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, but you know, it’s reality and, you know, that’s not the club you want to be a part of but if you find
yourself in that situation, there is some comfort in knowing that you’re not alone,” Hirsch says.

SFN provides fathers with inspiration and information. Hirsch notes that while membership is encouraged, some dads just need inspiration or insight on a weekly basis from listening to a podcast or a YouTube video. Some dads might attend one of the weekly meetings for SFN’s MasterMind groups, and some dads just want to tune in to the conferences.

But the original vision of SFN and the network’s primary function is to connect dads to other dads on a more personal level, in a mentor-mentee style program. Today, SFN has more than 700 mentor fathers who provide friendship, advice and community for fathers across 12 countries.

SFN in the DMV

Dr. Harsha Rajasimha and his wife, Ashwini, live in Fairfax County, Virginia, with their daughters Amulya (16) and Mytri (10).

Rajasimha became a part of the Special Fathers Network following the death of Khushi, his second daughter. She died shortly after her birth in 2012 as a result of Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome.

“David (Hirsch) inspired me and requested me to help others, and I was already doing that as part of the Indo-US Organization for Rare Diseases (IndoUSRare),” he says.

Rajasimha is the CEO and founder of Jeeva Informatics and founder of IndoUSRare, a United States -based nonprofit dedicated to research, advocacy and collaboration in the field of rare diseases globally through Indo-US partnerships that connect low- and middle-income regions such as India with clinical researchers in the U.S. He has volunteered with SFN as a mentor for nearly five years.

As a mentor, Rajasimha has been able to speak with and counsel fathers facing similar situations. He speaks to groups of fathers and offers his experience and support to fellow dads in need of a helping hand.

“Men are assumed to be strong, and [that] they don’t need back scratching and back patting and all that, but they do as well, and so it’s important to recognize that emotional side and appreciate them,” Rajasimha says. “They have a very important role to play in their child’s life, in their family, and their presence matters.”

While Rajasimha jumped into the SFN program as a mentor rather than a mentee, he, too, needed support. He says he drew that support from the lessons of his father and the lessons of the Bhagavad Gita.