Dad to Dad Podcast David Hirsch

Our guest this week is Al Malavolti of Rockford, IL a retired aerospace operations manager, father of 22 and grandfather of 34.
  
Al and his wife, Rose, have been married for 51 years and are the proud parents of 22 children; four biological children, 17 adopted children and one who they parented, as well as 34 grandchildren. Their first experience included adopting eight siblings, upon their biological mother's deathbed wish to keep her children together.

The Malavolti family story is a fascinating one, inspired by their deep faith and the call to make a difference in the lives of so many by opening up their hearts and homes to 18 youth who might not otherwise experience the love of a family.

Given the scope and scale of the Malavolti family, the story is being told over two episodes.  This is the second installment. 

Show Notes -
Phone – (815)298-5527
Email - mtamalavolti@yahoo.com
Seattle Times Story 1/4/98 - https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19980104&slug=2726904

Special Fathers Network - 
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated.  There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA/videos

Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/ 

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  

This Monday’s guest is Matt Bando of Downers Grove, IL who owns Prodigy Printing & Promotions and is father of an adult son with Cerebral Palsy.

Matt and his wife, Saba, have been married for 29 years and are the proud parents of Zain, 25, who has Cerebral Palsy and who is also a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and more recently the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Matt has been part of the Tuesday night SFN Mastermind Group, has attended the annual weekend SFN Mastermind Group Retreats and was featured in episode #237 of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast in January of 2023. 

Show Notes -
Phone – (630) 362-1151
Email – mattbando@comcast.net
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-bando-9922499/
SFN Dad To Dad Podcast Episode #237 –  https://21stcenturydads.org/237-matt-bando-of-downers-grove-il-is-scuba Therapy a-father-of-son-who-is-a-spastic-quadriplegic-with-cerebral-palsy/
Diveheart Scuba Therapy - https://www.diveheart.org
Matt’s Favorite SFN Mastermind Group Books – 
 - One More Step by Bonner Paddock
 - Zero To Hero by Allen Lynch

About the SFN Mastermind Group –

WHAT- 
SFN Mastermind Group dads meet weekly by Zoom for 75 minutes. Each meeting:
◦            starts with a round of wins from the past week,
◦            includes a discussion of the current book (6 per year) being reviewed,
◦            has two Dad-In-The-Middle sessions for dads to share a challenge, and
◦            ends with a recap and look at the week ahead. 

WHO - 
SFN Mastermind Group Dads are those:
◦            seeking meaningful friendships with like-minded dads,
◦            willing to invest their time and make a financial commitment,
◦            looking for a safe place to be open and authentic, and
◦            who realize seeking advice is a strength, not a weakness.  

WHY - 
SFN Mastermind Group Dads benefit by:
◦            realizing they are NOT alone
◦            having better relationships with their spouse,
◦            developing improved understandings of their child(ren),
◦            tapping into the experience and wisdom of others,
◦            getting weekly encouragement from like-minded dads, and
◦            creating a pathway to become the best version of themselves

21st Century Dads Foundation is looking to provide 100 special needs fathers with the opportunity to be part of the class of 2024 Mastermind Group.   

Curious to learn more?
Are you looking to meet like-minded dads?
Do you feel like something is missing?  
SFN Mastermind Group FAQs - https://21stcenturydads.org/sfn-mastermind-group/  
Schedule A Call - a...

Our guest this week is Al Malavolti of Rockford, IL a retired aerospace operations manager, father of 22 and grandfather of 34.
  
Al and his wife, Rose, have been married for 51 years and are the proud parents of 22 children; four biological children, 17 adopted children and one who they parented, as well as 34 grandchildren. Their first experience included adopting eight siblings, upon their biological mother's deathbed wish to keep her children together.

The Malavolti family story is a fascinating one, inspired by their deep faith and the call to make a difference in the lives of so many by opening up their hearts and homes to 18 youth who might not otherwise experience the love of a family.

Given the scope and scale of the Malavolti family, the story is being told over two episodes.  This is Part 1 in today's SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.  

Show Notes -
Phone – (815)298-5527
Email - mtamalavolti@yahoo.com
Seattle Times Story 1/4/98 - https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19980104&slug=2726904

Special Fathers Network - 
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated.  There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA/videos

Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/ 

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  

This Monday’s guest is Tony Brescia of West Dundee, IL who owns a Hallmark store, is the father of two including a son with Tuberous Sclerosis, and more recently is raising funds to create Project ALEX (Adult Living EXperience) Communities, a unique residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities. 

Tony and his wife, Joelle, have been married for 35 years and are the proud parents of two boys: Jason (29) and Alex (33), who was born with Tuberous Sclerosis, a rare genetic disease that causes non-cancerous (or benign) tumors to grow in the brain and several areas of the body, including the spinal cord, nerves, eyes, lung, heart, kidneys, and skin. 

Tony has been part of the Tuesday night SFN Mastermind Group, has attended the annual weekend SFN Mastermind Group Retreats and was featured in episode #268 of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast in August of 2023.  Tony & Joelle have been outspoken advocates for Project ALEX (Adult Living EXperience) Communities, a vision they have for creating a unique residential environment for adults with disability and their families. 

Show Notes -
Phone – (847) 736-0535
Email – tbrescia@earthlink.net
Website – http://www.joelleshallmark.com/
Tubular Sclerosis Association – https://tuberous-sclerosis.org/
Canine Companions for Independence – https://canine.org/
SFN Dad To Dad Podcast Episode #268 –  https://21stcenturydads.org/268-tony-brescia-of-west-dundee-il-father-of-two-including-a-son-with-tubular-sclerosis-co-chair-of-project-alex-communities/
Tony’s Favorite SFN Mastermind Group Book – The Voice of Victory by Wayne Messmer.

About the SFN Mastermind Group – 

WHAT- 
SFN Mastermind Group dads meet weekly by Zoom for 75 minutes. Each meeting:
◦            starts with a round of wins from the past week,
◦            includes a discussion of the current book (6 per year) being reviewed,
◦            has two Dad-In-The-Middle sessions for dads to share a challenge, and
◦            ends with a recap and look at the week ahead. 

WHO - 
SFN Mastermind Group Dads are those:
◦            seeking meaningful friendships with like-minded dads,
◦            willing to invest their time and make a financial commitment,
◦            looking for a safe place to be open and authentic, and
◦            who realize seeking advice is a strength, not a weakness.  

WHY - 
SFN Mastermind Group Dads benefit by:
◦            realizing they are NOT alone
◦            having better relationships with their spouse,
◦            developing improved understandings...

Our guest this week is Sam Farmer of North Easton, MA who is an Information Technology Consultant, a neurodiversity advocate, an Autistic writer, author, speaker, a husband and father of a son with Autism and himself was diagnosed later in life with Asperger’s.  

Sam and his wife wife have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of a 16 year old son, who is Autistic. 

Sam is also the author of: A Long Walk Down A Winding Road: Small Steps, Challenges, and Triumphs Through an Autistic Lens (October 2019).

Sam was also a panelist along with Dr. Temple Grandin and Dr. Eric Endlich for the June 22, 2024 SFN Zoom Panel Discussion: Learning About Autism From Autistic Adults, which garnered more than 275 reigstrations, now available on the 21CD YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Mhiudvngs&t=1105s

It’s a highly enlightening conversation on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.  

Show Notes -
Email - samijam669@gmail.com
Website – https://www.samfarmerauthor.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-farmer-0204a81/
Social Thinking – https://www.socialthinking.com/
Association For Autism & Neurodiversity - https://aane.org/
Book: A Long Walk Down A Winding Road - https://www.samfarmerauthor.com/book

Special Fathers Network - 
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated.  There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA/videos

Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/ 

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  

This Monday’s guest is Ian Todd of Baltimore, MD who is a Senior Service Consultant with SS&C Advent, father of two daughters and one of the original members of the inaugural SFN Mastermind Group.

Ian and his wife, Erin, have been married for 12 years and are the proud parents of two girls: Maple (8) and Rosie (6), who suffered a brain injury from bacterial meningitis and who is sight impaired.  

Ian has been involved with the Special Fathers Network for more than three years and his SFN Dad To Dad Podcast, episode #238, aired in January 2023.  For the past three years Ian has attended the Wednesday night SFN Mastermind Group and he has attended all three of the annual SFN Mastermind Group weekend retreats. 

Show Notes -
Phone – (917) 538-3701
Email – imtodd85@gmail.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-todd-5672bb19/
SFN Dad To Dad Podcast #238 – https://www.spreaker.com/episode/dad-to-dad-238-ian-todd-of-baltimore-md-father-of-two-including-rosie-who-was-injured-as-a-result-of-spinal-meningitis--52557296
Ian's Favorite Mastermind Group Books -
Thinking In Pictures, by Temple Grandin - https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Pictures-Expanded-Life-Autism/dp/0307275655
The Leader Within Us, By Warren Rustand – https://www.amazon.com/Leader-Within-Us-Mindset-Principles/dp/1950863255/

About the SFN Mastermind Group – 

WHAT- 
SFN Mastermind Group dads meet weekly by Zoom for 75 minutes. Each meeting:
◦            starts with a round of wins from the past week,
◦            includes a discussion of the current book (6 per year) being reviewed,
◦            has two Dad-In-The-Middle sessions for dads to share a challenge, and
◦            ends with a recap and look at the week ahead. 

WHO - 
SFN Mastermind Group Dads are those:
◦            seeking meaningful friendships with like-minded dads,
◦            willing to invest their time and make a financial commitment,
◦            looking for a safe place to be open and authentic, and
◦            who realize seeking advice is a strength, not a weakness.  

WHY - 
SFN Mastermind Group Dads benefit by:
◦            realizing they are NOT alone
◦            having better relationships with their spouse,
◦            developing improved understandings of their child(ren),
◦            tapping into the experience and wisdom of others,
◦            getting weekly encouragement from like-minded dads, and
◦            creating a pathway to become the best version of themselves

21st Century Dads Foundation is looking to provide 100 special needs fathers with the opportunity to be part of the class of 2024 Mastermind Group.   

Curious to learn more?
Are you looking to meet like-minded dads?
Do you feel like...