Daughters Lives Matter of Troy will present “Cover Me Daddy” Blanket Making Date & Expo from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 21 at the Troy Parks and Recreation Center.

Daughters Lives Matter is a national campaign created in 2014 to promote healthy father/daughter relations through education attainment, victimization prevention and poverty avoidance.

“The Daughters Lives Matter planning committee is excited to offer this father/daughter importance event here in Troy and Pike County,” said Tamara Williams, event organizer. “‘Cover Me Daddy’ is a special event where fathers and daughters can create memories they will cherish for a lifetime.  When a father spends time with his daughter, her world can change for a lifetime.”

Williams said, at a time when the United States has been marred by countless incidences of sexual assault and violence against women, a girl’s first level of protection should be her father.

“There is truly a very practical and doable solution to preventing a daughter from suffering abuse trauma over her lifespan. It’s called fatherhood engagement,” she said.

The local fatherhood engagement event will feature Blanket Making, which is a bonding experience.

“The fathers and daughters will make colorful fleece blankets that will be a keepsake for her,” Williams said. “‘Cover Me Daddy’ will also feature a poetry competition, speakers, exhibitors, drawings and fun activities. There will be entertainment including praise dancing, the SheBANG! Cloggers and line dancing. And, of course, we’ll have lunch so it will be a fulfilled day for fathers and daughters.”

Tickets for the “Cover Me Daddy” Blanket Making Date & Expo are $35 and include lunch and materials for the blanket.

“We are reaching out to businesses and other organizations encouraging them to sponsor a father and daughter who might not be able to participate otherwise,” Williams said. “The message of this event is that healthy father-daughter relationships are valuable and need to be nurtured and celebrated.

“We encourage fathers of girls and young women ages 7 to 18 to make their dates for this special event and the community to come out in a big way as we celebrate fatherhood.”   

Ticket information is available at www.daughterslivesmatter.com, by calling Williams at 334-465-9800 or Glenda Kelly at 334-424-8452 or contacting board members: Carla Johnson, Tyron Moultry, Glenda Kelly, Sharon Holland, Frankie Hubbard, Jamie McClain, Wendy Battle, Kay Walker and Agelene Kendall.