Wellesley has had its Mothers Forum for more than 30 years, but what about the dads?
The new Wellesley Fathers Forum seeks to address that situation, and will soon have its first event—a golf tournament at Sandy Burr Country Club on June 17 (sign-ups start on April 7).
“Emerging from the past few years of hibernation, it felt like many families were seeking new communities and friendships in the suburbs,” says Zach Epstein, who started the Forum with Patrick Murray, both of whom moved to town in 2020 with their families. “Our wives found women’s groups, and they often included family functions, but we were looking for a community for and by fathers and father-figures.”
The Forum, Epstein says, is for “Fathers bonding over raising children, debating whether Warren Park or Perrin Park has the better sandbox, finding new sledding hills, and forging camaraderie among neighbors… After shopping the idea around, it felt like there was enough interest to get this up and running!”
The non-profit Fathers Forum, which welcomes area dads and father figures, is starting off pretty casual. There’s no cost to join the volunteer-led group. Organized workout classes, morning runs on the Brook Path, social meet-ups, picnics at Land’s Sake Farm, and opportunities to give back to the community are all on the table. The golf tournament will be the group’s first official event.
Since making its presence known by word of mouth and an Instagram account (@wellesleyfathersforum), the Forum has been receiving emails every week from dads in Wellesley, Natick, and Needham who are interested in joining.
And the dads organizing this group are no dummies. They’ve connected with the Wellesley Mothers Forum leadership team to score advice and get the word out.
Learn more by sending email to Wellesleyfathersforum@gmail.
