‘Dad, HowDo I?’ How One Father Is Passing Along Life Lessons
realized he still had life lessons to pass on. After thinking about other young people in the world who have gone through the same unfortunate experience as he did, he decided to do something about it. In early April 2020, Kenney created a YouTube channel called “Dad, how do I?” and uploaded his first video, titled “How to tie a tie.” In the video, he gives a helpful hint for choosing a tie. Then he talks viewers through the process of how to tie a tie while demonstrating it on himself. As April progressed, Kenney uploaded a number of videos on other seemingly simple tasks, including how to unclog a sink, check the oil in a car, install a shelf, and even how to shave. As he continued uploading videos, he started to include dad jokes along the way. “So today I’m going to show you how to use a stud finder,” Kenney begins in one video. “If you came here looking for help finding a boyfriend, that would be a different stud finder.” Kenney hopes that, by uploading these videos, he can be there for someone who doesn’t have a parent around to teach them these things. And in the course of just two months, it looks like he is already doing just that. At the end of May, Kenney’s channel had over 2 million subscribers and thousands of people have reached out to Kenney to share their own similar experiences and express their gratitude and appreciation for everything he’s doing.
Being abandoned by a parent is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a child. Rob Kenney experienced this trauma firsthand when his father said he no longer wanted any of his eight children. Kenney was only 12 years old when his father walked out of his life. In an interview with Q13 News in Seattle, Kenney explained that after that experience, he decided that when he had children of his own, he would raise them into good adults and make sure they didn’t have a fractured childhood. But he didn’t stop there.
Now 50, Kenney has a 29-year-old daughter and 27-year-old son who are living
successful lives thanks to that
decision he made many years before. However, even with an empty nest, Kenney
SW Florida Responds to Harry Chapin Food Bank’s Needs And They Still Need Your Support!
Bank estimates that it has distributed more than 10,865,269 pounds of food to five surrounding counties, due to generous donations from the community.
At the Sheppard Law Firm, we believe our Fort Myers community — including those who join us for the winter — often bands together to support others in need, and 2020 has been no different. This year’s pandemic has created many trying obstacles, and we all have been affected by it. This spring, the Harry Chapin Food Bank, which has served Southwest Florida since its inception as Lee County Food Cooperative in 1983, asked for more donations to feed growing numbers of community members in need of help. Typically, the organization serves 28,000 individuals each week, but in June, it estimated that the community’s needs were increasing by 40%. As unemployment rates skyrocketed, more families sought help from the food bank that distributed 26.7 million pounds of food in 2018–2019. Southwest Florida responded immediately, and even our own team members, like attorney Craig Hersch and his family, donated goods to the organization. The overall response was overwhelming. As of June, the Harry Chapin Food
“This is a truly remarkable achievement for our community,” the food bank wrote in a late- June blog post. “It is humbling to ponder what we have
overcome: hoard shopping, government shutdowns, school closures, massive disruption in food supply channels, and yet we have distributed 9,054,391 meals to those who need food. Incredible. Gratitude abounds.” But the need for donations hasn’t decreased. In fact, the food bank estimates that its expenditures —which have jumped to $1 million each month —will remain high as they continue to purchase and feed the community for the foreseeable future. If you are in a position to give monetarily, you can donate directly at Donate.HarryChapinFoodBank.org . The organization is asking people to limit donations of food items to slow the spread of COVID-19. They are also encouraging those who would like to do more to consider hosting a virtual food drive with monetary donations or check out volunteer opportunities at HarryChapinFoodBank.org.
Thank you for your continued support! We are in this together.
2 floridaestateplanning.com
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