good morning, this is "news 4 your sunday." good morning. i'm pat lawson muse. andy we celebrate fathers take a look at supporting fathers. we begin byou introducing to a father and son. two men whose trials and experiences have helped to strengthen their bond. joining us now are eric weaver sr. who is chairman of the national association for the advancement, a rng citizen. joining us is his 29-year-old son, eric weaver jr. thank you both so much for being with us on a day like this.

it's a special day. you actually get to start it together with us. the story behind the reason is a rather extraordinary story. you were incarcerated at the age of 18. tell us about that time in your life. >> well, it was a time d.c. the crack epidemic had just and me being young and chasing the money and all the glamour of what was going on ended up getting incarcerated. they had my criminal behavior. >> eric junior, you were born while your dad wasn prison. what was it like for you gwing up without him being around? >> it was difficult at times now

that i can reflect to things could have been different. i still had guys with certain things but i didn't have a role model other than my father to look up to. >> and the people in your neighborhood talked about your dad. they looked up to yhim. >> tooked up to him. >> you got to visit him while at lorton. what were those visits like? >> i remember the visits, it was just getting good. when you get there, you're excited. my mother would take me, so they still had to have their conversation. as a kid you don't understand. you want to move around andhen you do sit and talk and get that bond, it's like, okay, the visit's up. >> they only had that hour. you wanted more.

you started writing letters, exchanging letters. what did you talk about? >> the letters really came once he got in trouble. he was a court involved juvene and so pretty much this told me i had to be a father. rather than a boyfriend to his mama. afte started getting into trouble, it m awakened to concerns and i had to have some ecconversations about hision making and trying to follow in the steps of me and trying to stay focused. >> you wound up incarcerated yourself in the d.c. jail? >> yes. >> you both wound up there at the same time? >> yes.

>> how did that happen? >> i was in the federal system. i believe i was i indiana at the time and he was locked up and i was coming back for someone giving their time back in court. they called me back for a witness for that and i was able because i still had the relationship with an officer i was able to ask them to move me in a unit he was at. got to be around each other a month. >> you got to spend time with wh him. was that like? ys it was amazing. i foundf looking at him all the time. i hadn't seen him in s many ye ars. ien people walked past i wondered ifwas him or not. >> because a lot of years had passed since the early a visits lorton. so he'd grown up and changed and you didn't really know him.

>> exactly. > must have been quite an experience. we're talking with a father and son, eric weaver sr. and his son eric junior and how theirneives have taround. we'll be right back.

we continue our talk now with a special d.c. father and his son on father's day. eric weaver sr. when your son was incarcerated, he continuedeeting people who knew you and hearing stories. the stories cnged over the years. they changed from stories about who you were on the streets to who you had become behind bars. staff talked a about it. was that the beginning of yourt organi? >> so i started reaching out to

the youngerti popu. i noticed a lot of young guys rtat didn't have any direction. they s following me and it was the chaplain at the corrections institution thate told me i was the new joshua and i didn't know anything about t bible so i had to read about joshua and it was like when moses died. he was the one that took over and led theeople and h told ta people were following me. we just reaching out to the guys, if you are going to follow me, i would lead you in the right direction. >> wow. the national association for returning citizens is your group d what do you do?y >> model is we organize and mobilize return citizen population. kind of making them aware, a lot

of them didn't know they could vote. d.c. being a unique city that it ur allows r citizens if they come home to vote for this. we also do a support group. return citizens that helps the ones coming home navigate throug the barriers of re-entry and people who have auch ses with it. shedding someer of those l of emotions we had to block off wh we were incarcerated. >> and you work with other organizations. >> we work wit brys and the department of corrections as well. i talked to the guys and the women before they even come home. >> eric, you recently came home. you spent a long time away.

hoh are things w you now? i they're much better. i cameo a persuasion to a father that did 22 years, incarcerated before me. had to navigate not only to the same system but in the same city with the same people.ne he's already othose doors for me. helps me succeed in life. they know the bloodline and dedication in the community. >> he'seally helped you transition back? >> definitely. >> so what's it like to be together now? >> to use a basketball analogy, like kobe and shaq got back together. i spent ten years incarcerated.

you hear stories about being reunited with your family. we have a unique bond. coming home, i can't explain every day i wake up i just feel happy. it's perfect. i can't wait to surprise him today. i can't wait. >> an tome, it's still an adjustment because sometimes he's in a rm saying, dad, and i have to remember that he's talking about me. it's a good adjustment. i'm happy everyay i think about him. i waited so manyears to be out here with him. when he came home, i was actually in switzerland and his mother kept calline my p and

calling. called at like 2:00 in the morning. swer the phone. your son is home. so i came back the nex day from switzerland. the whole plane ride i couldn't wait to get home to see him. >> this is such an inspiration and i can't thank you enough for sharing it with us and withev ybody who is watching. edknow that, eric, you have a big surprise plaor your dad on your first father's day together, and we're not goingo ask you to share it on the air ecause we wanted it to be a surprise foryou. thank you both. eric and eric weaver. bless you both. we wish you a lot of happy years together. >> thank you. thanks for having us. and up next t programs working to help fathers and sons the the tide on number numbers of young men incarcerated today. summer is here and everyone's coupling up. with mcdonald's new hotter and juicier, 100% fresh beef quarter pounder.

and any size coke for just $1. here's to one summer fling you'll want again and again. ♪

with mcdonald's new hotter and juicier, 100% fresh beef quarter pounder. and any size coke for just $1. here's to one summer fling you'll want again and again. ♪

the organization 100 fathers is a group changing the way men and fathers are viewed. thirector of the d.c. department of youth rehabilitation service also joining us is frank malone, founder of the 100 fathers incorporated. thank you for being with u while eric wasin rcerated, his son became involved with juvenile services under your agency and supervision. workers actually helped get that letter t writing going a fostering of that relationship. >> our philosophy and approach who understand that the key to serving and helping young people is to help the build strong families that connects them to their loved ones. it's not surprising our staff

that we call youth developme representatives, not correctional officers, who see their roles helping young people to develop most of all strong relationships with their family. >> we know the importanc of fathers in the lives of their children. you founded the organization, you say, to try to change the way fathers and men are viewed by society. what do you mean by that? whg? are you do >> we started -- if you brought up a father it was an afterthought when education and planning, the father was the after thought. we wanted to move men out from dows into the family and the community. we founded this organization to educate and ange, to change a paradigm by setting an example as role models a to pass legislation that would put

fathers in the lives of their children. the child support agency, most of the people they're looking for so it' dissipating and there's a time when fatrs can be celebrated.od fatherho is not just father's day either. it's 365 days a year and we love and ce about our children. >> your organizion says they call absent fatherhood a disease. you'ren working the cure. >> fathers are coming to the plate to stand up and be heard andre advocate iinnd the community to come in and train men.

coming a better dad and involve yourself in your community as role models and it works. >> what are some os the w dyrs is doing that and prioritizing the funding and the distribution of services to families where fathers need help? >> i think priority is the right word. we prioritized investment in communities and in families. as opposed to residential placement, taking young people out of their homes and the community. we are pouring reurces into the credible messenger mentoring. those who have the message and credibility shared their life periences to bring message of hopes to those who are in the justice system or at ris a credible messenger in his own

right and such a powerful that ation who have had sad and tragic story of incarceration but turned that in a victory because now they're in the community working with other people surrounding them being messengers, to wrap around young people and families and dads to become important parts in the lives, important in the lives of their young people and families. the thing we saw is ayc and this cycle is ending ll. we often don't see that. that contributes to the perception on the part of many that black men don't want take care of their kids, they're not around, they don't want to be dads.ee you don't it in the

incarcerated community. >> this innovative program, the messenger. he stepped out of the box. i also advocate we take it further. now, yes, they don't see fathers and men doing b great jobsause personally i don't think they're looking for it. the latest researchn the apa, the cdc, and the pugh report says that young fathers and black fhers are some of the best fathers and most involved fathers in the world. look it up. it's there. these men care about their children and families. they may needtraining, guidance and support but they really do care about their children and amilies and want to make a difference. that's why we're there. we getim calls all the from men who want to make a difference but don't have the tools, and that's what we're trying to do is bring the tools to make you a better father.

and here is the tr, love, connection, engagement and li t enlight enment. >> we'll be right back.

♪ ♪ you are many different things in one amazing package, and t.j.maxx gives you the freedom to express every one. with our unique mix of must-have brands at must-buy prices, you can be active or totally relaxed. ♪ ♪ you can shop online or take it home today. you'll always save on something for every you. maxx you. maxx life. t.j.maxx.

welcome back. we're talking about fathering on this father's day. you were talking about some of the tools needed to shape the lives of youth and to support families. can you pick up on that point? the tools that are needed today that wor today. >> sure. young people involved a all of us as human beings need to love ourselves, to have coping skills, to have conflict resolution skills, we need to have peer association skills. we need a number of others to be successful but we need love. love is a word that is more than justen ament but is an action, a pouring in to young people and families, the care, the compassion and support that they need that we would give to our own children, to o own family members. and so that was any mentoring effort or the credible messenger effort or any attempto really help young people, help fathers in particular but overall help

families become empowered. we have to love them. we have to provide the care and the investment and all of the things frank talks about to help people develop t become secure and empowered dads, sons, mothers, and family members in this whole village. >> m and, malone, you said we're beyond just mentoring. >> yes, we e. i want you to know i'm connected not just through the 100 fathers. i'm a member of the fraternityw h is a network, a national network that we work here. we're looking for resources in the community before the criminal justice system. those resources that are spent incarcerating people should be spent preventing people from beingar irated in the first place and the tool should b support, empowerment, boundaries

and expectations, constructive use of time. social competencies and, at last, positive identity. those are taught best in the commniity. the com can do better what the government or criminal justice system. i think he's on the right pathe beca there has to be rehabilitation in the system. >> do the people that come to you call you up, look you up online? how can folks get more information? >> we're at www.100fathers.org and parent help, a national ne ork, and we'll tell people that number. we have a number where people can just call and get help.

>> and do you charge for your services? >> our services -- it depends. we try to get you to the resource. >> and you have the resources as well. >> we serve the whole family. we don just wait for kids to come to the court system. we come out in t cmunity to bring empowerment and love. >> the approach is very comprehensive and we thank you r being with us. happy father's day to both of you. >> thank you.t. >> all ri and to see any of our news 4 your sunday programs, logon to our website, nbcwashington.com and click on community. d happy father's day to you. i'm pat lawson muse. we'll see you next week.

over the last 24 hours, you finished preparing him for college. in 24 hours, you'll send him off thinking you've done everything for his well-being. but meningitis b progresses quickly and can be fatal, sometimes within 24 hours. while meningitis b is uncommon, about 1 in 10 infected will die. like millions of others, your teen may not be vaccinated against meningitis b. meningitis b strikes quickly. be quick to talk to your teen's doctor about a meningitis b vaccine. infused with eighty lavender flowers in every bottle. air wick essential oils smells so real we put it to the test with real people. this one smells more like lavender. that one. no way! i'll be darned. the complete air wick essential oils collection.

this morning, many sunday services across our arealdill be n memory of thursday's shooting victims at the capital gas s gazzette. and overnight house fire has driven people out of their homes now they're looking for place to stay. the heat correspondents into the holiday weekend ahead. what you can expect as this heat wave hits hard.>> we welcome you in on this sunday morning. good morning to you. >> i had