On Thursday, some children and their dads gathered at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where one fortunate fellow walked away with the Father of the Year award.

He’ll throw out the first pitch today at the Royals Father’s Day game. The home team also is treating many other fathers and their children to the game against the San Francisco Giants.

The Father of the Year title and the game are tied to the National Center for Fathering’s annual essay contest.

Alissa Lew, director of public relations with the 13-year-old fathering center, said 135,000 essays were submitted by children nationwide. They are competing for their dads to win the Father of the Year title in their communities.

The program raises people’s awareness of the importance of fathers to children. Lew said 24.7 million children, or 36.6 percent, live in homes without fathers.

Some of the children’s essays are heartbreakers.

Adrienne writes: “I have a father out there, somewhere, but I don’t know where. He does things I don’t approve of, so I sometimes dream of what a real father would be like. …

“I wish my dad would be like the best dad in the world. My dad would take me places and he would take time out of his busy day to take me. He will even punish me out of love so I will do right.

“Dad will encourage me to do things when I am saying I can’t. Dad will help with my homework and call to see if my day went OK. He will bring me up when I’m down, and he will never say anything to make me hate myself.

“My dream dad will be everything I would need and want in my father. Now you know how I have a real dad that doesn’t do a thing for me and a dream dad who does whatever he can for me.”

Kayla wrote a poem on how having no dad has affected her and her mom:

“Are you out there?

“Do you remember me?

“The one you refused to see.

“I’m the one you tried to erase.

“You let something else take my place.

“You put me on one shoulder instead of two.

“You don’t have a clue

“What we’ve been through.

“You’ve caused us tears.

“We had so many fears.

“But through the pain you cause

“No matter what you do

“I will always love you.”

Then there were the traditional Father’s Day essays. Una wrote:

“When I think about what my father means to me, I realize that most of my special memories and feelings toward him come from the little things he does every day. My father has never saved me from a burning castle or an avalanche, but he does hug me and tell me to have a good day.

“My father doesn’t buy me expensive or fancy toys, but he does whisper to me that I’m his special treasure. My father has never fought off dragons for me, but he has taught me how to play the guitar, and we dance to the radio when no one’s looking.

“My father has never scared off evil monsters with a scream, but the sound of his voice reading to me at night lets me drift to sleep. My father is not a super hero in a comic book, but when I watch him and my mother smile at each other, I know he is her hero.

“He is to me what the sun is to a flower. He shines down on me every day and keeps me warm. …”

Rocky wrote: “My father is a really special person. He does lots of things for me.

“My dad is in the Army. He’s one of the people fighting for the United States. My dad is going into the war for not just me but also for everyone in the United States.

“I think that’s something to look up to, that he’s willing to give up his life to fight against war. There are lots of people who want to stop all the war and the violence in the world.

“My daddy is one of those people. Once, he showed me what it’s like to be in the Army. He showed me how to start a fire and how to make a tent. I thought that was a good thing that he wanted to make the world a better place.”

Good dads live for that. Happy Father’s Day.