Why we’re showing up for the Gone Guys screening (and you should too)

On Monday, March 2nd at 6:00 PM, the Kellen Cares Foundation is hosting a community screening of a documentary that hits close to home for us at Spokane Fatherhood Initiative. It’s called Gone Guys, and it tackles a question we’ve been wrestling with for years: why are boys and young men disappearing?

Not literally vanishing, but checking out. Dropping out of school, disconnecting from work, pulling away from relationships and community. The numbers tell a rough story – rising rates of loneliness, substance abuse, and suicide among young men over the past fifty years.

If you’ve been through our fatherhood programs, you already know this isn’t abstract. You’ve seen it in your own sons, nephews, or the kids in your neighborhood. Maybe you lived it yourself before you found a path forward.

What the Gone Guys documentary covers

Gone Guys is a 45-minute documentary that looks at the crisis of young men disengaging from society. It examines why boys are falling behind academically, why they’re struggling with isolation, and what’s driving them to the margins.

More importantly, it explores what’s working to bring them back – the kind of community-based interventions and relationship training that we practice every week in our classes here in Spokane.

After the screening at Talbott Center on South Hill, there’s a panel discussion where local leaders will talk about how Spokane can better support young men and their families. This is the kind of conversation that shapes how our community responds to the next generation.

Why Spokane fathers should attend

Ron Hauenstein, our Executive Director, has already registered, and several of us from SpoFI are planning to be there. Not because we need convincing that the problem exists, but because we need to be part of the solution at every level.

When community organizations like Kellen Cares Foundation bring these issues into public view, it creates opportunities for the work we do to reach more families. It opens doors for partnerships. It gives fathers permission to talk about what they’re seeing in their own homes.

Seeing our mission reflected in broader cultural conversations reminds us we’re not alone in this fight.

Event details: Free screening on South Hill Spokane

The event is free and open to the community. They’re asking for RSVPs just for planning purposes – you can register through the Kellen Cares Foundation.

Whether you’re a dad who’s been through our programs, a community member who cares about young men, or someone trying to understand why your son is struggling, this screening is worth 90 minutes of your time.

Who should come to this community screening

Parents, educators, coaches, students, mentors – anyone who interacts with boys and young men in Spokane. If you’ve ever asked yourself why a young man in your life seems lost or disconnected, this film addresses that question directly.

And if you’ve found your own path back to engaged fatherhood and community, this is a chance to understand how we can create those pathways for the next generation of Spokane fathers.

Supporting young men in our community

After the film and panel discussion, the real work continues in living rooms, mentoring relationships, and programs like ours at Spokane Fatherhood Initiative.

Culture shifts don’t happen in a single evening, but they start with communities willing to name the problem and commit to solutions.

We hope to see you at Talbott Center on March 2nd.

For more information about the event, visit GoneGuysFilm.com or contact the Kellen Cares Foundation at info@kellencares.org.

About Spokane Fatherhood Initiative: SpoFI provides evidence-based fatherhood training through programs like 24/7 Dad, helping men become the fathers their families need. Since 2018, we've graduated over 830 fathers with a 93% completion rate in Spokane, the birthplace of Father's Day.