I used to work at Fathers Support Center and it changed me, first I met my future wife and did not know it till 3 years later she was my boss at the center bright very intelligent, and hard-working. We had a mission to give dads back to their families bigger, better and stronger. The mission was clear, it made dads feel and be valuable I was a social worker there and it was clear Halbert was a tough cookie I had two jobs and I missed a staff meeting I had to be there at my second to let the kids in because my boss was out of town and I had to run it, I was getting the books right and watching the kids I was at Father Support for eight months and I missed one meeting and Halbert let me go. You don’t get the job done I never held that against him he told me he would have me back in a couple of months and I did not find that out till I met my wife and ex-boss, Kim. He did not like confrontation. So here we are this great man who did a wonderful a job for fathers all over St. Louis did something special for the community. Making fathers bigger, better and stronger was his magic he was not a perfect man but that’s what made him great. So I was there for eight months because God knew I had to meet my wife. Rest in peace Halbert Sullivan. God has a new angel. Halbert’s life has made other’s better, children and their families had a champion in the black community. His most Valuable Allie at the time was Mr. Deans he was the one that helps shape the program and took care of the political work. He who saves one life saves the whole world.
Halbert Sullivan, founder, and CEO of Fathers & Families Support Center (FFSC) died at his home in St. Charles on Thurs., April 15, 2021, of an apparent heart attack.
Sullivan, 69, founded the organization in 1997 with the intent of transforming absent fathers into nurturing parents. Since then, the organization helped more than 18,000 fathers become financially and emotionally involved parents with the skills necessary to hold a job and support a family, in turn, making a positive impact in the lives of nearly 45,000 children.
“The entire Fathers Support family is shocked and saddened at Halbert’s passing,” said Jeff Miller, FFSC chairman of the board. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, who along with FFSC staff and clients, mourn his loss. He was an incredible man.”
Sullivan was born in Memphis, TN, but moved to Rochester, NY, as a teenager. While in Rochester, he became addicted to drugs and was an absent father to his own child. After multiple arrests, convictions, and incarcerations, he relocated to St. Louis where he got back in touch with his children, earned a college degree, and then, at age 47, a master’s degree in social work from The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Community leaders approached him about creating a program to help children by helping their fathers and the organization was born.
Today, FFSC has more than 50 full-time employees and an annual budget of $4.5 million. Last year, the organization moved to newly renovated offices downtown at Olive and 16th Street.
Sullivan received the Gold Pin for the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Partnership of Community Leadership, was named the 2017 Nonprofit Executive of the Year in St. Louis and received honors from the NAACP, Missouri Association of Social Welfare, Washington University and the governor of Missouri. He was The St. Louis American’s 2017 Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
Miller said FFSC will “continue its important work, as Halbert would have wanted.” A succession plan created years ago will guide the organization’s effort to find Sullivan’s successor. Cheri Tillis, a 17-year-veteran of FFSC and current COO, will lead the organization on an interim basis.
