Attempts at Authenticity -- Eric Engelmann

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Send us Fan MailA kid loses both parents, gets bullied for a learning difference, and is raised by an elderly grandmother. Years later, he’s an honors student, a team captain, a college graduate in criminal justice, and a police officer serving Arlington. That kind of turnaround doesn’t come from hype. It comes from time, structure, and steady men who keep showing up.We sit down with Hope Farm executive director Sacher Dawson to talk about what actually works when boys grow up without a father in the home. He tells the story of walking onto Hope Farm years ago and seeing something rare in young kids: respect, eye contact, firm handshakes, and the confidence that comes from being known. Then he explains his own journey, from decades of corporate management to “early retirement” to the moment he realizes God is calling him into a challenge he hasn’t already mastered.We also break down Hope Farm’s mission and its practical model for youth development and faith-based mentoring in Fort Worth: the four pillars of Read, Feed, Parent, and Empower. You’ll hear why supporting single moms through Parent University is not optional if you want change to last at home, and how mentoring conversations tackle real dangers like gang recruitment and easy money after school.If you care about mentorship, community transformation, fatherless boys, and what it looks like to build Christ-centered men of integrity, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

Send us Fan MailA third grader learning to read shouldn’t be a predictor of prison beds, but in too many communities, that’s how the math works. We talk with Sacher Dawson, executive director of Hope Farm, about how Fort Worth can disrupt that pipeline early by surrounding boys without fathers in the home with daily structure, consistent mentors, and a plan that starts before bad options feel normal.We dig into why Hope Farm brings boys in at ages five to eight, what “formative years” really means on the ground, and how the afternoon routine is built to remove barriers: school pickup, Bible study, a reading literacy lab, tutoring, recreation, and dinner every day. When nearly all families served are low-income, feeding a child is not charity, it’s the foundation that makes learning possible. Sacher also explains the meaning behind the name, HOPE as Helping Other People Excel, and why Hope Farm calls itself a “farm” that cultivates young minds.You’ll also hear how the organization grew from two abandoned crack houses into a full campus in Morningside plus a second location in Como, intentionally placed in neighborhoods facing serious health, education, and crime challenges. Finally, we break down Hope Farm’s faith-based framework anchored in Luke 2:52 and a four-pillar approach: read, feed, parent, empower. That “parent” pillar matters more than most people expect, because supporting single moms through Parent University, volunteer involvement, and practical training helps the lessons stick at home.

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