ARTHUR C. EVANS, Ph.D., COMMISSIONER OF PHILADELPHIA'S DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORIAL HEALTH & INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES SELECTED AS "FATHER OF THE YEAR" BY HOUSE OF UMOJA, INC.

CONTACT: 
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
House of Umoja, Inc.
Telephone: (215) 473-5893
E-Mail: falakafattah@aol.com

PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) – 13 June 2013 – The House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.org), one of the key players in the Global Fatherhood and Men’s Issues Community, has announced its selection of Arthur C. Evans, Ph.D. as “Father of the Year”. The father of three daughters, Dr. Evans currently serves as the Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities – a US$1 billion health care agency. During his tenure, Dr. Evans has transformed the manner in which behavioral health care and intellectual disability services are delivered throughout the City of Philadelphia – the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. He has moved the focus to recovery for adults, resiliency for children, and self-determination for all people who use intellectual disability services. A clinical and community psychologist, Dr. Evans holds a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and has held faculty appointments at the Yale University School of Medicine and Quinnipiac University. He serves in several national leadership roles which include Chair of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Partners for Recovery Initiative Steering Committee, Co-Chair of National Action Group on Fostering System Reform for Adults with Serious Mental Illness, and Member of the Federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory Committee. 

 The announcement of the selection of Dr. Evans as the “Father of the Year” by the House of Umoja, Inc. precedes the organization’s orchestration of the “Give Dad The Gift Of Life” Health Fair on Saturday, 15 June 2013 from 10:00 A.M. through 3:00 P.M. at 1400 North Frazier Street and 5600 West Master Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Honorable Chaka Fattah, United States Congressman for the Second District of Pennsylvania will be a guest speaker at the health fair which will provide free screenings. Entertainment at the Health Fair will be provided by Hakim Starkey, a drummer; Mr. David Fattah, Jr., a solo vocalist; The Guiding Lights Acapella Quintet; Praise Dancers; Morrow Miles & The Rhythm of God Band; solo artist O.G. Cano; The Ultimates; and Zumba Fitness Guru Tonya Thompson who is the Outreach Coordinator for Sayre High School. Participants in the “Give Dad The Gift Of Life” also include Lorie Michelle Gantt, a Keystone Mercy nurse; Tracy Tann of Spectrum Health Systems; Dr. Robert Frederick of the University of Pennsylvania’s Pearlman School of Medicine; The Philadelphia Fire Department; the Black Women’s Health Alliance; Bruma Gamble of the Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging; Yvonne Jones of Urban Solutions; and Ms. Jackie Bivins of the Philadelphia Water Department.   A “rain date” for the Health Fair is scheduled for Sunday, 16 June 2013. 

 For further information, contact the House of Umoja, Inc. at (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com. --