The idea started from a conversation Ruskin High School Principal Ernest J. Fields Jr. had with the district’s hearing officer about the officer’s meetings with students in trouble and their parents.

So many times just the mother was there, the hearing officer told Fields. If a father would be there too, he said, “it was a blessing.”

So began the Men of Hickman Mills Summit — titled ”The Future We Want” — at Ruskin High School.

“It’s a start,” the principal said. The first summit, April 15, was an initial call to rally fathers and father figures, mentors and community leaders.

The support for the summit ran deep.

The high school provided food and gathered partners like LINC, Caring for Kids, Community America Credit Union, LM2 Construction and Consulting, and Bethel Family Worship Center. It worked with Jackson County’s BAM (Becoming a Man) program and brought in the Parent Leadership Training Institute to help show men ways to get involved in support of their children, their schools and their community.

Superintendent Yaw Obeng and Hickman Mills Safety Director Cyrus Rodgers welcomed the audience. Senior Pastor Dennis Lester Jr. of Bethel gave the invocation.

The Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III, senior pastor at St. James Church, delivered the keynote address, championing the impact fathers can have if they participate in the academic lives of their kids.

He was joined on the Ruskin stage by other speakers, including Marcus Walker, a FUSE executive fellow who is working with the Kansas City Mayor’s Office on anti-violence and peace initiatives.

LINC Caring Communities Coordinator Bryan Geddes said the support will pay dividends.

“You plant a seed and these kids will flourish,” he said. “Be a mentor. Be a tutor. Be a teacher. Be whatever is needed . . .”

The call will continue to go out, Fields said.

“It’s about praising fathers for their roles at home,” Fields said, “and trying to get them more involved here at school.”