Brooklyn Center Father Daughter Dance celebrates family, community

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - There's nothing quite like the bond between a father and daughter. Sunday night in Brooklyn Center, nearly 1,000 men and their daughters attended a special Father Daughter Sweetheart Dance.

Hundreds of young ladies dressed in beautiful gowns accompanied by their dapper dads were off to enjoy an elegant evening together.

"I do try to be a great father and there are so many great fathers out there and it’s an awesome opportunity to get a chance to celebrate that,” said Richard Coffey.

“I have a great Dad and I’m super excited that he invited me to it,” said Sydney Coffey. “It’s going to be a really good night.”

It's the seventh annual Father Daughter Dance in Brooklyn Center hosted by the Positive Image Organization. Terry Austin is the executive director and one of the co-organizers of this event. Positive Image works with local nonprofits, schools and churches to help dads build relationships with their kids.

“Our role in the community is to connect families, to connect fathers and then to connect youth,” said Austin. “We want to create the best events in the city.”

It's one of the most popular father daughter dances in the metro with 800 people attending Sunday night. North High School basketball coach Larry McKenzie attended with his adopted granddaughter, nine-year-old Raven, who is also a cancer survivor. McKenzie says this event highlights the important work men of color are doing in this community.

“Anytime we can celebrate fathers, and in particular black fathers, is important to be at events like this, so people can see that black men are really in the lives of their children and participating and doing lots of things,” he said. “This is about community, so it’s a great celebration.”

The Sweetheart Dance just wouldn't be complete without some tearing up the dance floor. It’s a night to make memories, dance for hours and just hang out with dad.