By Steve Sears

The mission of the Oakland Fathers’ Club is and always has been simple: raise money to help the youths of Oakland.

“When we say ‘help the youths,’ it was originally created to help the recreation department fund some different things with uniforms, and just extra things that the town budget didn’t cover way back when,” says Lou Renshaw, a former Vice-President and current Treasurer of the Oakland Fathers’ Club, which is in its 57th year. “It was started to help the recreation department, and it kind of morphed into something much bigger.”

What initially started as strictly a support group for the youths within Oakland borders has extended beyond the community boundaries. With the merging of the Oakland, Franklin Lakes, and Wyckoff school districts, kids in all three towns are supported by the club. “We will definitely look to help those kids as well, even though they don’t live in Oakland,” says Renshaw. “We are Oakland dads, but would we say ‘No’ to a Franklin Lakes dad? Absolutely not.” The Oakland Fathers’ Club has about 65 members, but about 20 are active members. “As kids get older, the dads move on to different things; they’re visiting their kids in colleges and things of that nature. And then, as new kids come into the program, some dads come into the Fathers’ Club. We’re always doing a membership drive, trying to get new dads.”

The group gives back quite a few ways. Among the list is awarding three $1,000 college scholarships to deserving Indian Hills or Ramapo High school graduating seniors; funding the Indian Hills girl’s softball team’s annual spring training trip to Florida; donating money towards the high school soccer team’s annual calendar; purchasing an ad for the high school Drama Club’s Playbill program for their theater performances; and support of local scout troops. “Any kind of organization that involves children, we’re open to give to,” says Renshaw. “Our biggest thing is it has to benefit the kids. All the monies we give out has to support the youths of Oakland, Franklin Lakes, and Wyckoff – anyone in the surrounding area.”

The Oakland Fathers’ Club has three major fundraisers every year. The first is the Oakland Town Carnival, where club members prepare and sell their popular “Famous Cheesesteaks”; the second is the group’s annual golf outing, which has been held for 28 years; and then a family barbeque, which takes place at either the Elks Club or Knights of Columbus, where the monies generated from ticket sales go towards the annual scholarship program for high schoolers.

A few years ago, the Oakland Fathers’ Club recognized a need for a special fundraiser for the holidays, and created was a special “Pictures with Santa” event. “We used to only give $1,000, and we would buy $25 gift certificates so the parents could make sure that there’s a gift under the tree for their children,” says Renshaw. “Right now, we’re able to do much more – a lot more.” He explains the process. “We have one of our members who does his house up very nicely every year for Christmas, and Santa comes and kids and families can come and take pictures. It’s a suggested donation of $25, and all the proceeds from that goes towards families that have been identified in our community that need help during the holiday season. That’s something we really wanted to get into, and we were into it a little bit through Oakland Cares, and the Mothers’ Club of Oakland was really a big part in identifying these families that needed help. Last year, we raised $11,000 just from ‘Pictures with Santa’ to give to these families. It’s really just Oakland helping Oakland, everybody feels good doing it, and the town rallies around it. The police officers and fire department come, and we shut down the street so it’s a safer environment. It’s a walk through, and it’s really something else.” This year’s event was on November 26 and December 3.  

All Oakland, Franklin Lakes, and Wyckoff dads are welcome to visit with and learn more about the Oakland Fathers’ Club, which meets every third Monday of the month in the evening at 8 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 7 Court House Place in Oakland.  For more information, visit www.oaklandofc.org.