We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe Roberson, Jr. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Joe, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
On Jun 1, 2017, I was abruptly awakened from a sound sleep at 3 AM. It wasn’t uncommon for me to experience a restless night’s sleep in a hotel room while on business, but this was truly different and, if I can be honest, quite terrifying. We have all had those scary dreams that cause us to awaken in a cold sweat with our hearts racing. Instead of experiencing a bizarre event while asleep, mine began seconds before an awakening, both literally and figuratively.
As I slept, I began experiencing a mild heartache, which intensified so severely that I instantly awoke and sat in bed. After sitting up, I immediately began rubbing my left pectoral chest muscle with the palm of my right hand. I thought I was experiencing a heart attack for a second, but as I processed what was occurring, I repeatedly heard the word “fatherless” in my head, bouncing back and forward like a ping pong. Although the sound was not audible, I heard my voice utter ‘fatherless’ internally about 8 – 10 times. Before this day, I may have encountered the term ‘fatherless’ once. But, I have gathered on several occasions that God burdens his people’s hearts, and obviously, I was experiencing something supernatural.
I reached over, turned on the light, and grabbed my laptop. I knew the Lord was grasping my attention and calling me to act on this ‘fatherless’ initiative. Once my computer booted, I began searching the term and learned a few glaring facts about fatherlessness. In 2017, 16.7 million households were led by single mothers. As I researched, the physical heartache began to subside, but now it hurts for a different reason. The more research I conducted, the more convicted I became and knew the Lord was calling me to spearhead this initiative.
Once I came to that revelation, I began searching for domain names for a business addressing fatherlessness. I searched ‘fathers.com, fatherless.com, thefatherless.com’ and others. However, all options were taken, so I paused a minute and thought, “I want the term ‘fatherless’ in the name, but how can I incorporate the name in a way that encompasses what the Lord desires from this organization?” I believed he wanted me to not only address fatherlessness but also to add accountability and ownership.
Fatherlessness is a societal issue affecting all ethnicities and cultures worldwide. I thought, “Hmm, what about “Our Fatherless”? Our denotes everyone. Fatherless is the absence of our earthly fathers, but also the absence of our heavenly father”. It was perfect, and most importantly, the domain name was available, and the business name was also available in Georgia. I purchased the domain that week and officially became a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization on Mar 1, 2018.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
Our Fatherless Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit startup organization located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, for fathers and fatherless youth. Its mission is to help end the fatherless epidemic, one family at a time. We define fatherlessness as the physical, psychological, or emotional absence of a paternal being or father figure. Fatherlessness often creates an unwieldy hardship upon children and burdens their emotional wellbeing and healthy development.
We believe every child is born with promise, a purpose, and incredible potential. We aim to ensure that children are set up for success and have access to a fully equipped, healthy, present, and emotionally intelligent male who can cultivate that success.
Our mission is fulfilled through the four pillars of our C.A.R.E. Initiative: Care, Accountability, Resources, and Education. This comprehensive approach nurtures families by reconnecting fathers and father figures with children, instilling accountability, delivering vital resources, and educating fathers on positive role-modeling and techniques for maintaining a healthy balance. Each pillar coincides with a program designed to support our mission.
The Foundation partners with various agencies and nonprofit organizations, legal personnel, institutions, schools, and community leaders to collaborate on providing accessible resources, support groups, training, skill-building, and legitimization advocacy. These partnerships help keep fathers and figures confident, engaged, and better equipped to serve and provide for children and families.
About Me:
I am a proud father, servant leader, project manager, Ph.D. candidate, and C.E.O. of Our Fatherless Foundation. My heart for serving fatherless youth prompted my enrollment in my Ph.D. program and the dissertation topic: A Correlative Study on the Lack of Emotional Intelligence Leadership and Fatherlessness. My journey began at eighteen, just before graduating high school, when I learned I would become a dad. So, in preparing to be a father and growing up fatherless, a commitment to being present and active in my child(ren) life emerged.
A decade later, I not only gained custody of my children but became a single father of three girls. In hindsight, God prepared me for that hotel encounter while birthing a more profound desire to eradicate fatherlessness as my God-given purpose.
Leveraging my M.B.A. experience in corporate leadership, strategic planning, and information security help with the operations of my nonprofit. I’m passionate about mentorship, missionary work, and the fulfillment of being a newly. I am crazy about my wife, family, and serving others.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
This story of personal resilience has built character and strengthened my faith in Jesus. As entrepreneurs, our character and faith will be tested, and both attributes were exposed and refined in 2019. On Jan 21, 2019, I attended a bi-weekly small group session. The topic of discussion was spiritual growth and comfortability. During this meeting, I silently prayed for God to make me uncomfortable. As a growth-minded individual, I desire to excel in all aspects of life, especially spiritually. It’s funny how God delays certain prayer requests while others garner INSTANT “results.”
On Monday, Jan 25, I learned two valuable lessons. 1) Be careful of what you pray for, and 2) God listens to EVERYTHING, including thoughts. I had just agreed to a major home improvement project earlier that morning, and before we made it to the PM, I was laid off and headed back home with a box of personal items from my desk. There was absolutely no doubt as to what happened. I knew God had his hands all over that decision. What I did not know is my unemployment stint would last for the entire duration of 2019. After 10.5 months, 12 interviews, and 167 rejection letters, I received three offer letters in December 2019.
Again, character and faith play a vital role in my resilience stories. 2019 taught me patience and discernment while completely trusting God to sustain me. Regardless of my financial and employment situation, all bills were paid on time, food was always on the table, and I got to travel to four countries.
There is no such thing as coincidence. God is strategic in everything He does, and little did I know, 2019 was a pre-cursor for 2020. In February 2020, my oldest and middle daughter gave birth to girls on the same day! In March, we were officially in the midst of a global pandemic. In July, I met the love of my life. In August, my grandmother suddenly passed. In September, a few weeks after burying my grandmother, my mother unexpectedly passed as well. In October, eleven weeks after meeting on a dating app, my wife and I eloped in Vegas. On Dec 31, we celebrated our nuptials in a ceremony witnessed by 60 of our closest friends and family. Yes, what a wild year!
Both 2019 and 2020 presented their own set of trials and tribulations. From losing employment, landing three opportunities almost 11 months later, witnessing the birth of two babies and the deaths of two matriarchs, and marrying the love of my life twice, I have come to appreciate all that happens in life. Understanding isn’t a prerequisite to obeying God. He is constantly working to prepare us for the next seasons of our lives. Regardless of the pain and love I experienced over the past few years, I will continue to keep my head up, eyes to the sky, and committed to championing fatherhood by ending fatherlessness one family at a time.
Have you ever had to pivot?
12-31-2021 is the date dropped into my spirit while traveling on a rainy drive home back to Atlanta from a business trip in Charlotte, NC. After receiving the revelation, I instantly blurted out to my wife, who accompanied me on this trip, “Hey babe, the Lord just told me to leave my job on 12-31”. Slightly puzzled, she asked, “What did you hear? How do you know it was Him?” After explaining what occurred, she said,” I trust Him, and I trust you.” That conversation transpired on Aug 18, 2021, leaving us with only four months to plan my departure. Leaving a job with little savings, being newly married, and having no consistent income stream was a 100% leap of faith. We sensed the Lord wanted me to focus on Our Fatherless Foundation and my PhD dissertation.
Since the beginning of 2022, Our Fatherless Foundation has made tremendous strides in fulfilling our mission of ending fatherlessness one family at a time. Between program development, website development, and networking, we have established a structurally sound foundation and sustainable business model that will benefit our communities for the foreseeable future. Additionally, I am progressing in the dissertation’s research and writing aspects. Neither endeavor would be possible if I continued working full-time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ourfatherless.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourfatherless/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ourfatherless
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/ourfatherless
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ourfatherless
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjMIeX1o9-pCqSRDCpcVfpw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/our-fatherless-foundation-lawrenceville-3?osq=our+fatherless