To: Current and Future YMCA Adventure Princess Dad’s

From: Chief Snow Leopard of the Lakota Tribe

Hello Fellow Dads,

I thought I would offer a brief introduction to the Indian Princess (Adventure Princess) Program. As a way of background, this is my 5th year in the program and, because of the positive impact on me and my daughters, I plan on spending many more (I have 4 daughters).

First, we use many Indian related terms such as tribe, nation, chief, med-man and, of course, our greeting, “Hoya Hoya!” Don’t get freaked out – it’s fun once you get used to it. The program is designed for dads of all ages and daughters in grades K-3. Here in the Lakota tribe, we’re pretty open to an extra year (grade 4) if both dad and daughter are enjoying themselves.

In terms of the benefits of the program, they are many. I think it was best summed-up by a dad whose been in the program a few years longer than I. There are four main benefits of the program:

1) You get to spend quality time with your daughter. This isn’t quality time in the sense of just a few minutes of connectedness, it’s much more than that. You typically invest Friday night through Sunday afternoon doing things you wouldn’t normally do in places you wouldn’t normally be. The memories you build with your daughter are simply awesome.

2) Your daughter gets to interact with other daughters. Outside of school and maybe a sports team, your daughter may not develop many close relationships. Campfires work magic. The program gives your daughter the opportunity to deeply connect with other girls whose families believe in a close bond between parent and child.

3) You get to hang with the boys. With your role as a busy parent, spouse, worker, business owner, family member and ________ (insert yours here), the casual social opportunities can be limited. If you open up, you’ll find a group of caring, fun-loving guys who look forward to spending this time together.

4) Your daughter gets to see you hang with other guys. Your daughter seeing you having fun with other men is a good thing. In addition, her trust in men is being built by her interaction with other dads. Experiencing this positive interaction helps shape her social and relationship skills that will last a lifetime.

I invite you to talk to any of our “Mighty Lakota” tribe members about the experience. We invest our time, money and physical effort in making this an unforgettable experience for both our daughters and ourselves.

Sincerely,

Chief Snow Leopard