Indianapolis nonprofit celebrates 30 years of empowering men and their families  

President and CEO Larry Smith poses in front of the Fathers and Families center located at 2835 N. Illinois St. (Photo/Mesgana Waiss)   A buff-brick building sits on a busy one-way street near Downtown Indianapolis. It is swallowed by a host of maple trees, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and Ivy Tech Community College.  Residents might miss the unassuming “Fathers and Families” sign outside, but inside, Larry Smith and his small army are doing the work many don’t want to miss. They are empowering men and families to put an end to the absent fatherhood crisis. & Smith is president and CEO of Fathers and Families, a small nonprofit that has served more than 20,000 men during the past 30 years. The organization’s legacy now sits on his shoulders, and he said it hasn’t been an easy task. & According to a U.S. Census Bureau 2021 report, 64% of Black children live in a single-parent home. But Smith said statistics alone do not tell a full story. The men who walk through his doors have a desire for fatherhood. He said systemic circumstances deserve more of the blame. & The George Floyd protests in 2020& advanced& federal efforts, such as the U.S....