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 first hosted a father-daughter dance four years ago, about 75 girls attended with their dads, uncles or grandfathers. 


This Sunday on Valentine's Day, the sold-out event inside a renovated barn at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center will bring together more than 600 people, mostly black men in suits or tuxedos and their daughters in long formal dresses. 


MPR News asked Tommy McNeal, one of the co-founders of the annual event, and his 10-year-old daughter to talk about the dance and their relationship. 


"For myself and Terry Austin, who is the founder of Positive Image — he has two daughters, I have two daughters — I think the thing that resonated with us the most was our ability to understand that the first strong male in our daughters' lives would be that of the father," McNeal said.


"We wanted to make sure that they understood what that meant, by having other men around their daughters so that they can reflect upon what it's like to be able to have solid role models in their lives that provide a positive image."


Camryn McNeal said that's what she loves about her dad — that he's a "real man" who is always there for her. 


"Some kids don't have their fathers. God blessed me with mine," she said. "I'm really happy to have him home everyday and actually get to hug and kiss him when he comes home. This is exciting, we're both in the moment right now. I'm pretty sure we're both just waiting for this Sunday to come up." 

Click on the audio player above to hear more of their story. 

Doualy Xaykaothao

Author

This Sunday on Valentine's Day more than 600 people will gather for the fourth annual father-daughter dance hosted by the nonprofit Positive Image in Minneapolis.

This Sunday, more than 600 people will gather for the fourth annual Father and Daughter Dance hosted by the nonprofit Positive Image in Minneapolis.

Date with dad: A father-daughter dance reveals the power of 'real' men

Doualy Xaykaothao | MPR News

Terry Austin is a co-founder of Positive Image.

2nd Annual Positive Image Father Daughter Dance Feb 9th 2014, Last years event was an amazing display of fatherhood, responsibility and just plain fun! 

The Father Daughter Dance is a community-sponsored, formal, elegant and fun-filled evening for girls ages 3 years and over, and the special men in their lives. The Father Daughter Dance focuses on the importance of fathers and their daughters having strong, healthy relationships. The first strong male bond girls have is with their father and this event teaches young girls what it means to be treated with love and respect.

Statistics show that a young girl will seek her father’s love first at home. If she doesn’t find it, she will seek it elsewhere. The objective is that fathers will continue to be positive role models and influencers of their daughters, and that daughters will have healthy relationships as teens and adults as a result. 

For more information about Positive Image here is there website info: 2nd Annual Positive Image Father Daughter Dance Feb 9th 2014, Last years event was an amazing display of fatherhood, responsibility and just plain fun! 

The Father Daughter Dance is a community-sponsored, formal, elegant and fun-filled evening for girls ages 3 years and over, and the special men in their lives. The Father Daughter Dance focuses on the importance of fathers and their daughters having strong, healthy relationships. The first strong male bond girls have is with their father and this event teaches young girls what it means to be treated with love and respect.

Statistics show that a young girl will seek her father’s love first at home. If she doesn’t find it, she will seek it elsewhere. The objective is that fathers will continue to be positive role models and influencers of their daughters, and that daughters will have healthy relationships as teens and adults as a result. 

For more info about Positive Image here is there website info: http://positiveimagemn.org/

Date with dad: A father-daughter dance reveals the power of 'real' men

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