Since it's start in 2016, CBUS Dads has intended to be a community of central Ohio area dads balancing an active lifestyle with being an involved parent. We may live downtown, in the suburbs or somewhere between, but our common thread is that we experience the community we love with our families.
We are going to start featuring some of the awesome dads we know to share their stories of parenting. There was no one more perfect to start with than The Dadass himself, Matt Lofy. By day, he is the executive director of the Worthington Area Chamber. Any other time if he's not parenting, he's focused on The Dadass Podcast. You can learn a little bit more about Matt below: What part of town do you live in? Westerville What is your favorite part about being a dad? I love being able to come home and feel like the most important person in the world when our son runs up and hugs me as if he hasn't seen me in a decade. What is your favorite activity to do with your kids that’s unique to Columbus? I love to go hiking in along many of Columbus' many Metro Park trails. Where is your favorite place to grab a bite to eat with your family? BrewDog New Albany - our son loves the huge pretzel. What are you most looking forward to in the future as a dad? I'm looking forward to each new phase of his life to see him learn and grow into his own. Sum up your life as a dad and the way you live it in six or less words. Who truly runs this shit show? Tell us a dad joke! What concert only costs 45 cents? 50 Cent featuring Nickleback.
0 Comments
It’s June. That means summer vacations begin, festivals kickoff, Pride and Juneteenth are around the corner, and it seems like everyone is hosting everything during your weekends off. Then in the middle of it we have Father’s Day. We understand that Father’s Day is only one day out of this jam-packed month, but we’d miss an excellent opportunity not to celebrate it to the fullest. Here’s what’s in store:
Father’s Day Gift Box Giveaway Now thru June 11, The Dadass Podcast is partnering with Cameron Mitchell to giveaway one deluxe gift box. All you have to do is like the Instagram post about the giveaway and follow Cameron Mitchell on Instagram to be entered to win. Extra entry if you follow The Dadass Podcast as well. The box (valued at $74.99) includes:
This gift box and another one featuring the same items, along with a Manhattan cocktail kit (ingredients and instructions for two cocktails included), are available for purchase at either The Barn or The Avenue. Changing Station Pick Up – June 14 We’re at the final leg of our partnership with Columbus City Council for the Changing Table Accessibility Grant as part of our Dadvocate for Change campaign. 130 changing stations will be installed into small businesses throughout Columbus and in Parks & Rec. restrooms that do not have them. On this day from 1-6 p.m. the businesses will be picking up their changing stations. We'll also be recording a live episode during that time with businesses, councilmen and whoever stops by. Father’s Eve – June 17 Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 17 from 7-9 p.m. We will be hosting Father's Eve at Echo Spirits Distilling Co. At this event we will host a mini diaper drive, share our final numbers from our partnership with Columbus City Council and simply celebrate fathers, papas, uncles, and parents. Weekly Podcast Releases As always, we have special episodes dropping each week that will leave you feeling inspired and ready to step up your dad game. Upcoming we are featuring some pretty cool guests, including the host of the number one fatherhood podcast in the world, The Dad Edge and the founder of the Dad Caucus in Congress. -Matt Lofy, The Dadass As you may know by now, we have been pursuing our Dadvocate for Change campaign for over a year now. The culmination of our most recent efforts partnering alongside four dads who happen to sit on Columbus City Council will wrap up on June 14, as 130+ changing tables will be distributed to area businesses or installed into Columbus Parks & Recreation restrooms.
With the support of Council President Shannon Hardin, Council Pro Temp Rob Dorans and Councilmembers Nick Bankston and Emmanual Remy, area small businesses could submit for changing stations to be put into their public facing men’s and gender-neutral restrooms. This was known as the Changing Station Accessibility Grant that was available to Columbus-based businesses that had 50 employees or less and didn’t have a changing station in either restroom. Nearly 50 businesses, requesting roughly 70 changing stations, took advantage of this grant. The hope is to have this continue annually to ensure easier access for all to change children in public. It's exciting to think about how many area places will now be accessible for all to have clean, safe ways to change their children in public. This is a wonderful showing of what the public and private sectors can do to try and move the needle even in small ways that add up to a bigger difference. Through the efforts of The Dadass Podcast and CBUS Dads, the Dadvocate for Change campaign has opened doors and opportunities we have not thought possible just a year ago:
Lots to celebrate as we near Father's Day, but there's still more work to do! stay tuned for what's ahead! -Matt Lofy, The Dadass I’ve been thinking a lot about storytelling lately. It’s relevant to everyone. As human beings we crave stories, and our brains are naturally wired to consume information in this format.
With this top of mind, I’ve been reflecting on my family’s last weekend. On paper, it wasn’t anything overly extraordinary: a cold weekend in March, Friday dinner out, Lego building, a hockey game, and an afternoon at the bar. But a double click into each event tells a short story of actually an extraordinary (at least to me) memory or lesson for my kids.
-Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor As a child of the 90s, The Olive Garden was the pinnacle of fine dining destinations. If you grew up in Columbus like me, you might remember when the now closed location opened on State Route 161 a.k.a. "Restaurant Row". For me and my family, birthdays and special occasions were celebrated there, as it was one of our favorites.
We haven’t eaten there in years, but my wife received a generous gift card from a client. Given this is a nationwide chain, The Olive Garden isn’t the typical institution highlighted on CBUS Dads, but really the location isn’t what makes this story significant. We planned to use the gift card on this free Friday night. My wife was hung up at a separate client appointment, so me and my three little ones went to the Polaris location separately to meet her afterward. Upon arrival, we were given a 25-minute wait, so with the draw of conference tournament college basketball on the TV, we saddled up at the nearby bar to kill some time. I did my best to enforce proper restaurant etiquette with my kids, as a few fellow bar patrons enjoyed their pasta dishes. Eventually the bartender greeted us, and I gave the green light for the kids to order a drink: two Shirley Temples and a chocolate milk. He hooked them up too: maraschino cherries, extra chocolate syrup, BIG cups. Our table was ready shortly after, and when I went to settle the bill with the bartender, he told me it was on the house. I tried to insist, knowing that while not as involved as your typical cocktail, there is still substantial effort to concoct the kids’ beverages of choice. I explained how nice of a gesture this was to my kids, as they couldn’t understand why we didn’t have to pay. Later on in our visit, I handed my son a $20 bill to take back up to the bartender. Certainly the $20 didn’t make or break his night, but on our way out, the bartender told my son he was a gentleman. As a former server myself, I want my kids to know how important it is to show appreciation for those in service roles. And if you’re wondering: the salad and breadsticks still held up and were as delicious as I remember. The kids especially loved the chocolate mints as the capstone to the meal. -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor Westerville City Schools has been hosting a district-wide Lego competition for the last 17 years. This was the first year my son, a kindergartener, was eligible. He definitely doesn’t take after his Lego-inept dad, as he loves to build. Him and I entered the building with a tub of every Lego we own and an open mind of what this event was going to be like. As a first step, our tub was inspected by the volunteering high school lacrosse team to ensure we had no instructions on hand, pre-packaged sets or pre-built blocks. We checked in and found his four feet by four feet spot amongst the other kindergarteners on the freshly cleaned gym floor. Shortly after, he and 70-80 other participants were given a full hour to build whatever they wanted. He was confident, as he told me he was planning to construct a “space station”. I found my spot to support him in the nearby bleachers with a book and my computer.
I’m proud that he didn’t rush through his build, using 50 of the allotted 60 minutes. The judging followed, as my wife and daughters met us then for the awards ceremony. Two students from each grade would receive individual awards: best build and most creative. I don’t know how the judges did it, because every submission was awesome. Of course, this event enlisted true experts to lead the judging, as members of OhioLUG assessed the creations (I didn’t know this group existed until now). He didn’t end up winning an award. And that wasn’t the point. We kept stressing to him to just try hard and have fun, which I think he did. He kept his head up and wasn’t disappointed, rather just more motivated to participate again next year. He tried something brand new and was creative in the process. Combined with a participation certificate, a treat from the concession stand and the memories, he won the day anyway. -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor My kids have each been fortunate to visit Nationwide Arena for a Columbus Blue Jackets game. I even indoctrinated my youngest this preseason. One thing that has always shadowed all of the on-ice action for them is the allure of riding the zamboni. They see kids enjoying their unique voyage across the rink and wish it was them. An admission: I was on the power patrol for the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2006-07 season. It was a blast. I won’t completely reveal my sources, but by reaching out to past contacts, I was able to arrange having my daughter ride the pregame zamboni for the most recent home game. Of course I kept this a surprise from her. We entered the arena earlier than usual, which she only mildly questioned. We had a prearranged meeting with the current power patrol regime, and at this point, she started to ask questions on what was actually going on. We were led into the bowels of the arena by a power patrol member who eventually spilled the beans on what was soon about to take place. She simultaneously was elated but also nervous when it set in that I was not joining her on the ride. We got to watch pregame warmups from the zamboni tunnel and take a picture with Stinger. I was given the chance to reminisce with a few familiar faces from 15 years ago and was even reminded that I gave the legendary Braveheart freedom speech for my audition. Then she was summoned to climb aboard for her ride. After a few instructions and some anxious dialogue with the driver, she was on her way to assist with smoothing the ice for gametime. When her ride was over, she asked me questions on how this happened for her. I explained how I had to make contact with some people that worked for the team and that this wasn’t something we could just snap our fingers and make happen. At eight, she’s starting to understand the commitments and work her parents do to support her and her siblings. She’s even starting to show some appreciation for it too. Consequently, she gave me a big hug and thanked me for giving her this opportunity.
You don’t need me to sell you on all of the fun things for kids to do at Nationwide Arena, as throughout the rest of the night, we took pictures, visited the new Fan Zone and even watched a noncompetitive hockey game. But the highlight for her was her novel ride upon the zamboni. The highlight for me was seeing how much she enjoyed it (and holding the WWE championship belt - it was also WWE night!). -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor After a dry, mild winter, I’ve been quietly saying recently I wouldn’t mind one more decent snowfall. Remarkably, despite a forecast that didn't predict as such, we woke up on Daylight Savings Time Sunday to a couple inches of beautiful snow. This was timely, as we still had one winter-specific activity on our calendar before we officially enter spring: brewery curling at Land Grant. The reservations were hard to come by, as we’ve had this booked for seemingly months. Each reservation comes with a heated outdoor igloo. Upon arrival, we were taken to ours and given a scorecard for our family’s game. After discussion, we determined the fairest teams would be boys (me and my son) versus girls (my wife and two daughters). After acquainting ourselves with the rules, we stepped onto the ice for a quick warmup to get the feel for the game. It proved to be harder than any of us anticipated to expend the right amount of force to ensure the small keg slides across the ice and stops within the circle on the other end of the rink. The girls started off fast with an early lead, as the boys couldn’t find the proper touch. My son was especially reckless with his initial tosses to say the least. A break was requested after the fourth round (you play ten) for a possible snack. I obliged by picking up a pound of waffle fries from the Ray Ray's Hog Pit food truck on site. We were soon back at it. My youngest daughter, who’s never seen a french fry she didn’t like, was shuffling back and forth from the igloo and the rink, shoveling fries into her mouth as we played. The boys settled in and by the end of the game had taken a four-point lead to clinch the victory. My wife and oldest daughter - certainly the most competitive members of my family - were disappointed if not outright salty (and not from the fries) by the outcome. This late in the season, you may have to wait until next winter for a round of brewery curling, but I highly recommend it. Land Grant with its outdoor beer garden is certainly a destination and one that is incredibly family friendly. We’ve taken our kids there several times, as there’s always activities, music, sports, or some combination available. -Steven Michalovich, Regular Contributor It all started in the brain of Matt Lofy, The Dadass himself, as he struggled to change his son’s diaper outside in the cold rain in October 2021. Shortly after that moment, a movement started. In 2022, we partnered with great institutions like Pluie and North High Brewing to raise grassroots awareness in the city we love of the need for easier/better access to changing tables within area businesses. Despite leaving The Dadass overwhelmed, there was no more perfect time to start the dialogue and build advocacy for change for families in our region. While legislation nationally is gaining momentum and making headway, we are thrilled that we have taken the next step in our #DadvocateForChange crusade, forging a partnership with the City of Columbus to reintroduce the Changing Station Accessibility Grant. Late last year, we took the initiative to introduce ourselves to Columbus City Council. Coincidentally, Councilmembers Rob Dorans, Nick Bankston, Emmanuel Remy and Council President Shannon Hardin are all young dads too. Sparks flew immediately, and the excitement for reviving this important program took off. Initially established in 2017, the Grant engaged the small business community to increase equal access to changing stations within the City. The Dadass Podcast recently had a fun conversation with the braintrust originally behind this initiative. Here’s the details for this next carnation of the program:
Word got out fast, even before the application process was available to the public. The campaign and grant have since gotten additional exposure. We are excited for the continued progress, discussion and awareness of this important need. More to come, but feel free to follow along and/or reach out to us on additional ways we can #DadvocateForChange. -Steve Michalovich, Regular Contributor I grew up in Westerville, Ohio. After a decade living it up in various urban Columbus neighborhoods, my wife and I decided to lay down roots in my hometown. Fast forward a few years to when I was fortunate enough to be appointed to the City of Westerville Park and Recreation Advisory Board in 2019. If you’re not familiar with our little hamlet, Westerville prides itself on being a city within a park. Biases aside, you feel this mantra living in Westerville. Our parks, trails and pathways are treasured, keeping us connected and creating a recreational system that serves as the centerpiece of our community. Don’t just take my word for it. The department is nationally recognized as one of only three municipalities to be a five-time recipient of the National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Additionally, they’ve been deemed compliant with 151 rigorous standards to be one of 191 out of 12,000 eligible communities to be accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies since 2005. My first monthly meeting serving the department was January 16, 2020. My excitement was high. I found a new outlet to be involved with my childhood hometown and the place I call home as a parent who regularly takes advantage of the 26 parks and 50 miles of paths within city limits. Our role as advisory board members as I saw it was to be a sounding board for decisions and initiatives led by the department and represent the community’s best interests to the best of our ability. Of course, the whole world changed shortly after my onboarding, when the global pandemic shut everything down. My excitement was tempered by the sight of seeing our beloved public parks actually closed to the public, with no clarity of when that would cease. As someone who loves the outdoors, this sight never was easy to see. In my 38 years, I don’t know that I’ve seen or will ever see a team more committed than the Parks and Recreation team for the City of Westerville. They have done everything they can over my three years on the advisory board to fulfill the City’s promise to provide world class parks and recreational amenities. It’s been so inspiring to peek behind the curtain and see all of the tireless work that goes into living up to these expectations year in and year out - especially with the enormous additional challenge of navigating their successes during this unprecedented time. In just my three years, this department has brought to life:
Fast forward to today, as I documented before, my family increasingly has more commitments on our calendar, resulting in me needing to be very deliberate about how I spend my time, including extracurriculars I can commit to. Because of this, I sadly did not seek reappointment to the Parks and Recreation Board following my three-year term. My point in drafting this is to not seek any kind of praise for my very small commitment over these three years. Moreso, it is to show my appreciation and respect to this team and to highlight to all parents that Westerville has unique and varied parks, greenspaces and recreational amenities to enjoy with your family whenever you’re ready for a visit. If I can answer any questions or provide any recommendations, please let me know, and I’ll do my best to help or direct you to this amazing team. -Steven Michalovich, regular contributor |
AboutCBUS Dads is a community of central Ohio area dads balancing an active lifestyle with being an involved parent. A Saturday for us may involve enjoying morning t-ball, lunch at a new local spot and an evening at a summer festival with our families. We may live downtown, in the suburbs or somewhere between, but our common thread is that we continue to experience the community we love - now as parents. Archives
April 2024
Categories |