As he looked around and saw the numerous dads and their families moving about and having a good time at Concord Church, pastor Aaron Moore couldn’t help but thank the folks representing the Mark Cuban Foundation and The Heroes Foundation for putting on a splendid event.
It was a He’s My Hero Father’s Day Popup event for dads, bonus dads and father figures that was held after Sunday’s two morning services. The event featured vintage cars, food trucks, free family photos, a 360 photo booth, Bliss Caribbean food, Porch Seeing tea, a deejay, and shirts for dads produced by Pan Ector screen printing and design shop.
It was a good day had by all in honor of the more than 1,700 folks in attendance.
“We are so grateful and we’re so thankful for the Mark Cuban Heroes Foundation,” Pastor Moore said. “It means the world to us that their vision of He’s My Hero and what they do to support dads has aligned with our vision. They’re partnering with us and we’re partnering with them, and it’s so incredible to see the two of us coming together.
“We love everything that they do, we love their mission and what they stand for. And the fact that they were able to come here today and make sure that we get dads from all over the Metroplex here, it just means the world to us. So, to the Mark Cuban Heroes Foundation, the Concord Church is eternally grateful to you.”
The event is part of a year-long He’s My Hero series of activities celebrating and supporting father figures. This year’s lineup included 
everything from health-focused events – physical and mental health screenings, support sessions and checkups – to grilling and culinary classes with nutritionists, chefs and dietitians.
In addition, there were financial- and career-targeted sessions addressing personal and professional life audits, grooming, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and wardrobe styling.
Mavs governor Mark Cuban said Trina Terrell Andrews “is the brainchild behind it all. I’m just so super proud of how the Center puts it together and the impact it has had on the community.”
This is the fourth annual event.
“We started it in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, and I woke up one morning with this idea of honoring fathers,” said Andrews, who is the chief executive officer of the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center. “And then also when George Floyd lost his life, I was sitting with an intern at the center, and we were watching one of his last funerals and she posed the question to me: ‘Why do they have just limited amount of photos of him that you can’t really see that well?’ But as a mother I saw a missed opportunity where they could show pictures of him and all of his children.
“So, I said what if we did this: A Father’s Day photo shoot and we’ll call it He’s My Hero. And it
‘s really our way of paying respect to the men that have stepped up in various capacities — not just as the father, but as a bonus dad and a father figure to all of us directly and indirectly.”
That’s how Sunday’s event was born, with Concord Church member Sam Walker tipping his hat to Andrews and the Mark Cuban Heroes Foundation.
“It brings the family together, to celebrate and fellowship,” Walker said. “It brings people close together in the community so that they can see that there’s times that you can have fun and times that you can meet one another, meet other people, and to let them know that the sky’s the limit to whatever you want to be.”
As far as Father’s Day itself is concerned, Concord Church member Jerry Hicklen said: “I’ve been a member here for about eight years and Father’s Day means the world to me. I lost my father at an early age, but what he instilled in me helped me to raise my (four) sons to be the men they are today.
“Father’s Day here at Concord is just awesome. Men love to just hang out with our family, hang out with our friends and do those things that we love to do. We’re real simple. You put a car in our face — that’s a shiny object. You give us some food — we feel good. And then lastly, we’ve got our family with us. Man, I tell you what, it makes it for a great day. So, thank God for Father’s Day here at Concord.”
Another Concord Church member, Dedrick Davison, shared that sentiment.
“Father’s Day to me is a big day because I grew up among a group of great men,” Davison said. “My grandfather lived across street from us, so I had my grandfather, my dad, my uncles — that’s who I grew up around and who trained me and molded me.
“They taught me how to work, they taught me how to be a father. So to me, this is a big day for me and very important not only for me, but for my dad and all the men that helped raise me.”
Said Andrews: “We’re honored and thrilled to do it. “I remember we had three different generations of families to come the first year, and we had so many people that we didn’t know how to try to accommodate them because they were all coming at different times and we didn’t know why they were waiting.
“It really speaks to a lot of times what we don’t see, and that’s my whole objective is to preserve these moments and capture these memories. Life is very short, and 
our whole goal is for the kids to see these men in their lives in their best light, and even when they’re going through challenges and challenging times. That’s part of being a hero. You go through some challenges, and through some good times and bad times.”
Pastor Moore put it succinctly when he said: “What Father’s Day means to me is that it is a time set aside just to celebrate dads all around the world of every kind. Not just traditional fathers, but grandfathers, bonus dads, mentors, everybody that has stepped in and lend their leadership to help develop somebody else. We just want to celebrate you today.
“We know that Mother’s Day gets a lot of the love and dads typically just get the big piece of chicken or some sausage and rolls. But here today, we want to make a big deal celebrating dads. That’s what it means to us here. We’re celebrating the legacy of fatherh
ood and what it looks like to duplicate the things that our dads have done well, and to leave behind some of the negative aspects so that every generation gets a better mind.”
And with that in mind, Andrews, the Mark Cuban Foundation and The Heroes Foundation laid the foundation for a fun-filled Sunday event that left everyone with many memories to cherish for many years to come.
“What we love about the Mark Cuban Foundation is they’re always in the community, they’re always giving back, and they’re always mentoring.” Hicklen said. “So, we’re very appreciative for the Mark Cuban Foundation.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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