Whether it was work or play, professional DJ and drummer LV Barnes took his now 15-year-old son with him.
“We were together so much that people knew if I was there, he’d be there,” he said. “Then as the social media scene grew, and I started posting things we did, I got emails saying, ‘You inspired me to be a better father.’ I’m a big kid at heart, and I was just out here having fun with my kid, but you never know who’s watching.”
The west Atlanta dad knew other men he considered good fathers but who didn’t get the same kudos. Then a friend going through a custody battle put up a photo with his daughter, and Barnes responded.
“I posted a comment that said keep being that bright light to your daughter, and I used the hashtag ‘cool dads rock’,” he said. “That really stuck with me, so I made a Facebook page and added friends’ pictures with their kids. That blossomed into a thing that, at first, I wasn’t even sure what it was.”
But in 2013, Barnes knew that “thing” had to be a nonprofit that promotes stronger ties between fathers and children. Cool Dads Rock was formalized, and a fundraiser to highlight the mission was created. The Cool Dads Rock Soapbox Derby Festival launched that year with 10 dad-kid teams and since then has drawn as many as 34 participants. The inspiration came from Barnes and his son attending a similar derby at Piedmont Park.
“When I saw that, I thought I could get into something similar to build the momentum of the organization,” he said. “Then I thought about how we could use it to cater to families, how dads or any father figure could build something with their son or daughter.”
Since its inception, the derby has proved to be just that. The parent-child team works together to draw up plans, buy materials, build, re-build to correct errors and then participate in the race.
“It starts well before the event as a platform to build that relationship,” said Barnes. “And when you see a dad push his kid off the ramp, and the kid has the ‘trying not to crash’ face before he runs back to the dad to see what they did together, it’s just amazing.”
Prior to the race, the organization offers free build sessions with advice and tips. Kids must be at least 4 to drive, and teams pay a $35 registration. The next festival is set for Sept. 23 at Historic Fourth Ward Park.
Information is online at cooldadsrock.com.
Who’s doing good? Each week, we write about a deserving individual, charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event or person for us to cover, contact us at ajc.doinggood@gmail.com.
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