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At the core of many communities are Facebook groups run by parents to share (mostly) important information with each other.
One father, David Tracy, who lives in Stony Brook, noticed the vast majority of these groups are run by moms. That’s when he decided to re-vamp the Three Village Dads Facebook group, which was inactive, and run by a female.
“Sometimes these moms’ pages aren’t the best for men,” said Tracy, referring to the women in the group looking for female recommendations.
His Three Village Dad’s group soon became a go-to place for dads to talk about things they cared about.
The revamped page picked up steam quickly, growing to nearly 1,000 members — adding between 200 to 300 over this year, said Tracy.
Among those added to the selective group over the past year was Setauket dad Colby Rowe.
“I thought it was going to be a place to see if the school was canceled, things like that, but it turned out to be a lot more,” said Rowe. “I feel like I have a big group of friends now.”
As the dads became more tight-knit, Tracy knew he wanted to do more with his group.
“As we grew, we brainstormed on things we can do better, what can we do for the community we love,” said Tracy.
Rowe, a paramedic, recommended hosting a blood drive.
“I understand the value of needing blood on standby,” said Rowe, who also works for Stony Brook Medicine as a trauma outreach coordinator.
The two then turned to their fellow dads, who immediately jumped on board.
From Feb. 25 to March 2, the Three Village Dads teamed up with Stony Brook University Hospital to host a week-long blood drive. During that period, over 55 dads donated blood or platelets.
The faculty at the hospital was in awe.
“Anyone who helps us is giving us better depth in supply and is helping the whole community,” said Dr. Dennis Galanakis, Stony Brook Medicine’s blood bank director. “Without blood, we can’t have any surgeries.”
And the guys enjoyed it too.
“I can’t really put it into words on how I felt after seeing everyone come together like that —it really means a lot,” said Tracy. “We have really blossomed from a social club to a real force in the community.”
Moving forward, the operator of the Three Village Dads plans on hosting more blood drives and other charitable events.
If you are a Three Village dad yourself and in the group, make sure to follow them here; Three Village Dads.
But, beware, moms, Tracy said he does a good job at expelling any potential spies.
Top: Two members of the Three Village Dads Facebook group, Sean Walters and Kevin Walters, donating blood at Stony Brook University Hospital. (courtesy photo)
