The Alabama Parenthood Initiative of Morgan and Limestone counties — formerly the Alabama Fatherhood Initiative — will host its sixth-annual API awards celebration at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Holiday Inn in Decatur.

Keynote speaker for the event is Kenneth Anderson, Calhoun Community College’s dean for Humanities and Social Sciences, who will talk about maximizing parental involvement.

API is aimed at non-custodial parents who are unable to make child-support payments due to unemployment or lack of job skills. Its goal is to help parents develop and maintain positive relationships with their children — through counseling, education, training and employment assistance — and to enhance their ability to support them.

Non-custodial parents enrolled in Calhoun’s API program have repaid more than $400,000 in back child support in four years, said Angela Henderson, case manager.

The awards program is held each year to recognize those who are participating in the program, those who have completed training and are now employed, and those local businesses, organizations and individuals who support the program, she said.

“While the parents in our program may have experienced some adversity in their lives, they are not unlike many others we know — they are hard workers who want the best for their families,” Henderson said. “It is because of their desire to improve the lives of their children that they are involved in our program, and this awards ceremony gives us the

opportunity to recognize and honor their success.”

For more information about API, call Henderson at (256) 306-2914 or arh@calhoun.edu.