FORT STEWART, Ga. - The 3rd Sustainment Brigade, Third Infantry Division, took a proactive approach to domestic violence and hosted the first-ever Provider's Parenting Day, an educational event geared toward building resiliency amongst Families at the Main Post Chapel, Oct. 28.

"From my point of view, if one Soldier learned how to better care for his children, it was all worth it," said Master Sgt. Richard Russell, the 3rd Sustainment Brigade Master Resiliency Trainer and surgeon cell Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge. "The 3rd Sustainment Brigade is the first brigade I've been a part of that has put this much time and hard work into caring for their Soldiers and their Families.

Colonel Ron Novack, the 3rd Sustainment Brigade commander, and a father with another child on the way, was among those in attendance, and after welcoming the Soldiers and their Families to the event, he joined other fathers and participated in Daddy Boot Camp, a class geared toward helping new and expectant fathers become more acclimated with the day-to-day responsibilities of raising children.

"It was really nice having Col. Novack in class with us," said Sgt. Juancarlos Cevallos, a finance technician with 24th Finance Management Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Inf. Div. "It made me realize that he's a parent too and understands a lot of the challenges that we all face."

Other classes offered at Provider's Parenting Day were Ages and Stages of Development, Before Baby Arrives, Choking Baby and Basic Child and Infant First Aid, Scream Free Parenting and Setting Aside Time for Couples with Children. At the end of the day, a raffle was held in which participants won prizes varying from car seats and bouncers to a new crib and mattress. After the event, the Hinesville Fire Department inspected car seats to ensure they were properly installed.

"I really liked the Choking Baby and Basic Child and Infant First Aid class because it gave some really good techniques to help any child that may be in trouble," said Pfc. Mario Golliday, a material manager with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, STB, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Inf. Div. "They also stressed that taking care of yourself will make you a better parent and allow you to better take care of your child, and that really stuck with me."

The classes provided to the more than 200 Soldiers and Family Members who attended the event were given by trained and licensed professionals from the Family Advocacy Program on Fort Stewart.

"From what I can tell, this event went pretty smoothly," said Devon Piggee, who attended the event with her husband, Sgt. Jason Piggee, a Joint Network Node senior retrans operator with the 414th Signal Company, STB, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Inf. Div. "The presenters were very well informed and kept the crowd interacting and entertained while touching on a lot of important issues."

The 3rd Sustainment Brigade is the first and only brigade in the division who has organized an event of this caliber and they plan on continuing to be proactive in preventing domestic violence. The brigade will hold many more military resiliency training events in the near future, including a Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers run and classes such as How to Avoid Dating a Jerk or Jerkette, Silence is NOT the Golden Rule, The Five Love Languages, 10 Great Dates and Keys to Managing Stress.