Author: Allan Pereira

For the past year, Man Up has been developing a video-based discipleship resource for men in the church. Imagine a church where the men are discipled to work unto the Lord, reconcile with their enemies, preach the Gospel, be godly fathers and husbands, all while fighting for the fatherless?  What if there was a word that encapsulated healthy masculinity and the impact men make on to the generations after them? What if that word was used frequently in the Bible? Good news! There is a word, and the word is PATROS. 

PATROS, the Greek word for “father,” is a digital resource that chronicles the journey of one young man on fire for Jesus as he interviews higher profile brothers in Christ on what it means to be a biblical man. ​

From pastors to politicians, championship coaches, and a Christian hip-hop artist, these stories both inspire and challenge us to not only think more biblically, but to move us to act on behalf of the world’s fatherless.

Ultimately we want men who use this PATROS resource to see why God’s Scriptural mandate to “Defend the fatherless” (Isaiah 1:17) is something we can no longer ignore.

Then we want you to DO something about it.  ​

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-The Man Up Team

Every year in July a Man Up and Go team gathers together in western Iowa to embark on a week long journey called RAGBRAI.  The team will start on Sunday, July 23 in Sioux City, Iowa and end up in Davenport, Iowa on Saturday, July 29.  This year’s RAGBRAI event is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary.  Man Up and Go will be riding as a team for it’s 9th year.​

 
The team this year consists of five guys from the Tampa, FL area and 4 guys from the Springfield, MO area.  They are gathering together for the purpose of sharing the mission of Man Up and Go.  As the team is riding through small towns, serving people along the way, and enjoying the festivities they are talking about the “Fight for the Fatherless”.

The “Fight for the Fatherless” looks different for everyone.  For some it means stepping up in your own home to be a better father and for others it’s serving as a mentor to a foster youth.  Whatever role you are playing, please know that God smiles down on the genuine efforts we put into breaking the cycle of generational fatherlessness.​​

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So as the team is riding across the state of Iowa in an effort to raise awareness of fatherlessness please take a moment to say a prayer for them.  Not only pray for them but ask the Lord what He would have you do.  Isaiah 1:17 implores us to “defend the cause of the orphans”.  So what are you doing to fight for the fatherless?​

Join us on all of our social media platforms to follow the journey of our team.  We will be posting videos and pictures to highlight what’s happening throughout the week.​

-The Man Up RAGBRAI team

It’s been two years since we launched our domestic Authentic Masculinity Program aimed at coaching and mentoring young men impacted by fatherlessness. 

Statistics show that a young man who ages out of foster care will cost taxpayers over $300,000 in social programs over the course of his lifetime. Our goal is to reduce that trend by engaging these young men with Coaches who often provide the only meaningful, stable relationship they have. ​

This past year we worked with over 40 young men, placing an emphasis in helping them establish stability in five major areas: 

• Housing 
• Behavior not leading to incarceration
• Employment and/or education
• Mental Health
• Substance abuse 

We are thrilled to report that we have saved taxpayers over 2.1 million dollars in costs avoided by building relationships with these young men, coaching them in the areas above, modeling healthy masculinity, and connecting them to resources. 

More importantly, we have been able to share the hope of the Gospel with many of these young men who invite us into their lives. 

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One of the young men that we serve has his own family. He is a father of 3 children and was struggling to gain employment. With hard work and determination, he secured a steady employment opportunity, giving him a sense of purpose and financial independence.The progress this young man has made is a testament to the transformative power of mentorship and the commitment each of our coaches has shown to his well-being. The dedication has empowered him to break free from the cycle of homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration, and has opened doors to a future filled with possibilities.

You may be asking how you can help? If you currently live in the greater Tampa Bay or SW Missouri areas, then check out our Man Up 100 cohorts. They are a great way to fight for the fatherless in your area. These cohorts are made up of men who give of their time, talents and treasure, in order to impact the families we serve.

If you live somewhere else, we have an exciting digital resource that will be available this Fall called Patros. In the original greek, Patros meant fathers or those who pass down legacy. Our Patros video-based tool will provide churches with the resources needed for training their men to live out their biblical masculinity by fighting for the fatherless. You will get to listen to influential men of God as they walk through different aspects of being a Patros. To ensure Patros is utilized by your church, please contact our CEO, Jeff Ford, via email: jford@manupandgo.org

Finally, all of this takes your financial support. You can give to Patros by going here:

Thank you again for your faithfulness!

​-The Man Up Team​​

I am writing to inform you of an extremely time-sensitive opportunity for you as a business owner to dramatically help Man Up and Go. Man Up’s vision is to see a Father for every child. We mobilize men to provide support services for foster families and coaching/mentoring for those in foster care system who have been impacted by fatherlessness locally and we have international programs to fight for the fatherless globally..

In 2021 the Florida legislature enacted the Strong Families Tax Credit, under which taxpayers can make private monetary contributions to a designated charitable organization and receive a dollar-for-dollar credit against corporate income taxes and insurance premium taxes, among others. In other words, you can donate to a qualified charity instead of giving that money to the government.​

There are only a handful of eligible charities who have been through the process to receive these donations and Man Up and Go is one of them:​

We are writing to you because we just learned that the legislature has opened up $10 million in allocations on a “first-come, first-serve” basis beginning at 12:00 AM, July 1, 2023, at the start of the new State Fiscal Year. However for Man Up and Go to benefit from this amazing opportunity, you will need to “reserve” your tax credit allocation.

This is very important – once the $10 million has been reserved, the opportunity is gone. In January of this year, 12 million dollars was reserved by eligible corporations in less than 7 days. Time is of the essence to reserve your allocation on behalf of Man Up and Go. We are happy to walk you through the steps to set up your corporation so that when July 1 comes, you can quickly submit your application for this amazing dollar-for-dollar credit benefitting Man Up and Go and its program recipients.

Additionally, we would encourage you to send this document to your CPA for their review. 

​The first thing you will need to do is to set up an account (if you don’t already have one) with the Florida Department of Revenue.

Man Up and Go • 2126 Blue Beech Ct • Trinity, FL 34655​

On July 1, you will login to your account and take the following actions:

• Click on the Florida Multi Tax Credits application.

• Choose the Strong Families Tax Credit allocation.

• Choose Man Up and Go as the recipient.

• Estimate how much in Corporate Tax you’d like to reserve to allocate to Man Up and Go instead of the State of Florida.

Again, we can’t stress enough the importance of doing this on July 1 or very shortly thereafter. Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation number. You then have until you file your taxes in 2024 (for the year 2023) to make your monetary donation to Man Up and Go. At that time they will provide you with a receipt, which you will provide to your accountant for the credit. 

If you have more questions about the program, please feel free to contact Jennifer Ensley at the Florida Dept of Revenue at 850.717.7659.

If you have any questions about Man Up and Go, you may reach out to their CEO, Jeff Ford, at 727.247.3525, or at jford@manupandgo.org.

Thank you for your consideration in this important matter.

Join us on Monday, May 15th at Cypress Run Golf Club in Tarpon Springs to raise money to “fight for families” in Tampa Bay. Ignite Academy and Man Up and Go are both organizations that support families and children. Ignite Academy is a private Christian school currently serving K-6th grader learners with an emphasis on health and building community. Man Up and Go mobilizes men to fight for the fatherless by serving local foster and adoptive children and parents.

GOLFERS

• Individual $175
• Foursome $700

HOLE SPONSORS $250

• Company Logo on tee box signage

SILVER SPONSORS $1500

• Company Logo on tee box signage
• 1 Foursome for golf
• Marketing material in golfers’ bags
• Recognition on social media

GOLD SPONSORS $3000

• Company Logo signage on 2 tee boxes
• 1 Foursome for golf
• Marketing material in golfers’ bags
• Recognition on social media
• Logo on Event Banner
• Featured in email blast to 5,000 local emails

PLATINUM SPONSORS $5000

• Company Logo signage on 2 tee boxes (at one of the competition holes)
• 2 Foursomes for golf
• Marketing material in golfers’ bags
• Recognition on social media
• Logo on Event Banner and on golf bags
• Your business video included in email blast to 5,000 local emails
• Opportunity to speak from stage at lunch

Every year a group of Man Up and Go cyclists take on the infamous RAGBRAI, while representing the mission of Man Up and Go. RAGBRAI is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state of Iowa. RAGBRAI is also the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day recreational bicycle touring event in the world! This is the perfect place for our team to wear their Man Up gear while also riding alongside thousands of cycling enthusiasts. Our team rides to raise awareness of the need to fight for the fatherless.

If you’d like to see a quick overview of the guys riding and having some great food, click the video below! 

As we prepare to take on RAGBRAI 2023, we want to extend the invitation to you. We would love to have you join us! This year’s trip is July 21 – July 29. If you or someone you know would enjoy riding across IOWA while also championing the mission of Man Up and Go, then please reach out to admin@manupandgo.org. 

-The Man Up Team