Dovetail Project Receives Support From The NBA Foundation And The Chicago Bulls

Sheldon Smith founded the Dovetail Project as a way to help young fathers. Photo provided by the Dovetail Project.
Sheldon Smith founded the Dovetail Project as a way to help young fathers. Photo provided by the Dovetail Project.

Dovetail Project Receives Support From The NBA Foundation And The Chicago Bulls

By Tia Carol Jones

Sheldon Smith founded the Dovetail Project in 2009, with the goal to help young fathers between the ages of 17 years old to 24 years old. Fathers in the Dovetail Project program receive skills, tools and opportunities for careers that will help them become effective parents and leaders in their families and communities. Smith wanted to launch a fatherhood initiative that would support young dads because he was a young father, and his parents had him at the age of 18 years old.

Since its founding in 2009, the Dovetail Project has had more than 700 fathers graduate from its curriculum-based program, which teaches parenting skills, life skills, and felony street law. After graduating from the program, the fathers receive a job, a GED or trade, as well as ongoing case management support. On June 5th, the Dovetail Project will celebrate its 29th graduating class.

The Dovetail Project is a recipient of a grant from the NBA Foundation, with support from the Chicago Bulls. The Dovetail Project was one of two Chicago-based organizations that received donations from the NBA Foundation.

“We are excited that the NBA Foundation’s grant will help support The Dovetail Project to address important issues in Chicago,” NBA Foundation Executive Director Ruth Jurgensen said in a release. “Providing resources and opportunities in communities with NBA teams are central to advancing our mission.”

Smith said the Dovetail Project has been longstanding partners with the NBA and the Chicago Bulls. For the last seven years the support the Dovetail Project has received from them has helped the organization scale its work and sustain their work throughout the years, including supporting the Dovetail Project through the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA and Chicago Bulls have also provided tickets and had players get involved in the work being done at the Dovetail Project.

“The Dovetail Project’s success in Chicago is an example of the progress that can happen when like-minded partners come together,” Chicago Bulls Vice President of Community Engagement Adrienne Scherenzel said in a release. “The Bulls aim to use the power of our platform to aid and amplify the good work already being done in our city by organizations like The Dovetail Project.”

Smith said aside from the financial support, the missions of the NBA Foundation, the Chicago Bulls and the Dovetail Project are deeply aligned. The NBA has fathers in the league and the issue of fatherhood is extremely important to them. Smith said the support is giving the Dovetail Project the ability to create pathways for economic opportunities and education for the fathers who are currently enrolled in the program, as well as the fathers who are expected to enroll in the program in the fall.

“This is giving us a chance and an opportunity to expand our services and make sure our young men have great careers and livable wage employment that helps to economically impact their families, which is needed right now,” Smith said.

Smith said that meeting fathers where they are is extremely important and the outreach team from the Dovetail Project is amazing. They go out and look for fathers and recruit them into the program. Smith said oftentimes when fathers are looking for help and support, they don’t really know where to go. He said heading into the 16th year, he is excited about the additional resources the Dovetail Project will be able to have for fathers across the city, helping to guide and support them with the things they need for themselves and their families.

“For me, as the founder of the organization, I am grateful for the work that we’ve been able to do to help to strengthen fathers and impact the next generation of children,” he said. He added that every day is Father’s Day at the Dovetail Project.

For more information about the Dovetail Project, visit thedovetailproject.org.

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