Fathers nervously waited as their little girls made their way into the detention center.

"I was excited, I almost wanted to cry," said inmate Dominick Buckler.

This was a special kind of visit, one the red carpet was rolled out for.

"When they see their girls all dressed up it makes them feel like, oh wow, this is my daughter," said Captain Charlina Foster, a jail employee.

Brittany Campbell sponsors the event through her organization, Strengthening Transformations, Inc.

"I know the importance of a father-daughter relationship," she said. Campbell said although her own father was not incarcerated, her strong bond with him helped her have healthy relationships with men in her life.

She gets the girls all dolled up with donated dresses, and hair and makeup professionally done. For many of these men, just sitting down at the table is a first, much less in a tux.

"They're seeing right now how they can be toward their kids," Foster said.

The inmates said the time they share telling stories and giving life updates is not something they take for granted.

"This is my whole motivation right here to better myself and make better choices," Buckler said. "Without her, I don't know where I'd be at this point."

At the end of the night came the tearful goodbyes.

"After it's all over that's when they're really emotional," Foster said.

As they sent off their little girls, they said they feel motivated to be the best fathers they can be once they're released.