The only thing better than tasty treats at school is having dads and other father figures come to school to eat those treats with their children.

Community in Schools of Hampton Roads sponsored the second annual Donuts with Dads event at Elephant’s Fork Elementary School last week. About 285 members of the school community participated.

This program is one of many in our local schools aimed at increasing participation from fathers and other male role models.

It’s no secret that participation in school activities from fathers has, on the whole, historically been lacking. Of course, there are many great fathers and other male relatives who participate in school just as much as, if not more than, the mothers and female relatives, but that is not the case across the board.

Add to that the fact that the teaching profession is dominated by women, and it’s easy to see why many schools have special programs devoted to seeking out the involvement and mentorship of fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, older brothers, uncles and men from the community.

Children need a variety of positive role models in their lives, and it’s preferable if those role models are people they actually know. They need to be able to look to examples of strength, humility, kindness, empathy and perseverance to gain inspiration for the skills needed to succeed in life. If they can find and follow these examples, they are sure to become leaders in their own right.

Like so many things in Suffolk that we highlight in this community newspaper, the whole community came together to make it a reality. Donations from Krispy Kreme, Food Lion and the Nansemond-Isle of Wight Baptist Sunday School Union defrayed the cost of the program.

We look forward to hearing more in the future about efforts to get male role models involved in school — especially when those efforts are this delicious.