Our Story
On Jun 1, 2017, Founder and CEO of Our Fatherless Foundation, Inc., Dr. Joe L. Roberson Jr., had a supernatural encounter in a hotel room while traveling for work. Abruptly awakened from his sleep, his heart burned with overwhelming surges of passion, yearning, and deep heartache. Terrified, he sat up, grabbing his aching chest. The discomfort was so intense he thought he had a heart attack. While rubbing his chest, he heard the word "Fatherless" roughly 8-10 times before grabbing his laptop to research what it meant. Before that encounter, he may have heard the term a single time, although he grew up fatherless. At that moment, Joe knew the Lord wanted him to go into action and create something for the fatherless.
.png)
After months of research and brainstorming, Joe decided to start a nonprofit. Our Fatherless Foundation was officially organized as a 501(c)(3) in March of 2018 with a mission to help end fatherlessness one family at a time. Months later, he enrolled in a Ph.D. program studying Organizational Leadership to expand his knowledge and prepare him to lead his nonprofit.
​
Over the next three years, Joe's sole focus was his Ph.D. program and preparing for his dissertation until he met his wife in 2020. Rahkal Shelton would not only have experience working for nonprofits, as a creative startup consultant and project manager but also as someone who grew up fatherless and shared a passion for serving youth. A year after marrying, Rahkal Shelton Roberson would help bring Joe's vision to life, becoming Co-Founder of Our Fatherless Foundation.
Our Fatherless Foundation's approach to ending fatherlessness is a two-prone approach focusing on serving youth ages 8-18 and men looking to reconnect with or better lead their families. In 2022, the foundation has established all foundational, programming, and structural work, including a very successful website launch and hosting their 1st Annual Father & Son Retreat. Our Fatherless is actively solidifying team members.
​
core values
Our approach to serving and equipping our volunteers, men, children, and everything we stand for is reflected in five core focus areas:
.png)
FAITH
CHARACTER + INTEGRITY
COMPASSION
LIFE SKILLS
SOCIAL SKILLS
Meet The Team
Dr. Joe L. Roberson Jr.
CEO | Founder, Our Fatherless Foundation
Husband, father, servant leader, project manager, and Chief Executive Officer of Our Fatherless Foundation, Dr. Joe recently completed a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership with a focus on Black male leaders and the usage of emotional intelligence.
​
He is passionate about family, serving, leading, mentorship, and philanthropic work. Joe's commitment to eradicating the fatherless epidemic is a God-given purpose. He has a Master's in Business Administration and experience in strategic planning, business analysis, information securities, and process improvement. Joe enjoys traveling, mission trips, serving in the men's ministry at his church, and spending time with his wife.
.png)
rahkal s. Roberson
Co-Founder, Our Fatherless Foundation
Creative + Programming Director
Certified professional life coach, author, dynamic speaker, and skilled producer, Rahkal is the creative and programming director of Our Fatherless Foundation. She has over 15 years of combined experience in media, education, and project management, working in the nonprofit sector and for Fortune 500 companies.
​
Rahkal's passion for serving and inspiring others is demonstrated through her heart for leading, mentorship, and philanthropic work. She is an HBCU alum and graduate of Texas Southern University, where she studied Radio/TV/Film. Rahkal has a Master's in Communication and Training. She is the author of College Bound: A Black Girl's Guide, Everything You Need to Know Before Starting College, Woosah: A Survival Guide for Women of Color Working In Corporate, Woosah Workplace Peace, Dreams Bigger Than Texas: A Story of Faith, Purpose, Perseverance, and Growth Into Womanhood, and Blackbird: The Story of a SistaMom.
Rahkal enjoys traveling, blogging, being creative, serving in the women's ministry at her church, and working alongside her husband, Dr. Joe. ​
.png)
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
​
.png)
Wanna help serve our mission and be a part of changing the lives of fatherless children? We're looking for program coordinators, admins, grant writers, and board members.
​
Send resume here.
Mission
Our mission is to eradicate the fatherless epidemic, one family at a time
vision
Impacting generations by producing healthy, present, and active fathers and father-figures
![Joestudd_AC14_R3A [Converted].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/08ecf8_269a367691f142178c6da6a3b2f23783~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_421,h_130,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Joestudd_AC14_R3A%20%5BConverted%5D.png)