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Family Strengthening Initiative
July/August 2009 Newsletter
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In This Issue
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National Alliance for Hispanic Families: FuturoNow Leaders Help Launch New Initiative
Partner Highlight: Finally Home Foundation
Promising Practices Guide for Healthy Marriage Programs
Upcoming Trainings
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Did You Know...
Healthy Marriage
and the Economy |
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Current research and thinking from the world of economics and social
sciences highlight two major conclusions:
- Happily married employees increase profitability in the workplace
Healthy marriages are tied to healthy economics...
- The 1.2 million annual U.S. divorces cost taxpayers an estimated $30 billion in federal and state expenditures.
- Each divorce costs society about $25,000 to $30,000 because of the increase in costs of supporting people with housing, food stamps, bankruptcies, problems with youth, and other related expenses.
- Married men earn up to 40% higher incomes than single or divorced men.
- The median household net worth for a married couple is $132,000, compared to $35,000 for singles, $42,275 for widowed individuals, and $33,670 for those who divorce.
To read the full report, "Marriage and Family Wellness:Corporate America's Business,"click here.
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National Alliance for Hispanic Families
FuturoNow Leaders Help Launch New Initiative
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Representatives of FuturoNow joined Hispanic leaders from around the country  during a day-long summit focused on developing srategies to strengthen Latino families throughout the United States.
The June summit was held in Washington, DC and sponsored by the National Alliance for Hispanic Families, a group formed to promote comprehensive program services, relevant research, and strategic public policy decisions that promote Hispanic families.
The goals and objectives of NAHF are aligned with national issues addressed by President Obama, including responsible fatherhood, enhancing the role of parents in the family, and reducing teenage pregnancy.
The Alliance was officially formed in March after a strategic meeting that included Mark Orphan of Urban Strategies, Jose Villalobos of TELACU, Dr. Alicia LaHoz of Chicago Family Bridges Project, and others.
Those who spoke at the summit included Representative Raul M. Grijalva (AZ), Luis Zayas, PhD Director of the Center for Latino Research, Omar Lope, PhD, CEO of Corporation for Public School Education K16 and Frank Fuentes, Health and Human Services senior advisor, Administration on Children and Familie.
For more information on NAHF, click here. |
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Partner Highlight: Finally Home Foundation
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 Finally Home Foundation is an organization committed to meeting the holistic needs of adoptive and foster families in the Orange County area. As a partner with FuturoNow, Finally Home offers day-long Family Wellness classes to strengthen the marriages of adoptive and foster parents, a need rarely addressed by foster and adoptive programs.
"Marriage is the strongest link in a family. If the marriage relationship suffers, the whole family falls apart," explained Natalie Banning, a marriage and family therapist who serves as a member of the Finally Home Family Wellness teaching team. It was this gap in marriage strengthening services for adoptive/foster parents that established the mission for Finally Home Foundation and secured its partnership with FuturoNow to offer Family Wellness courses.
To maintain Finally Home's mission of providing holistic services, children are offered a program during the one-day Family Wellness classes, and receive an eight-hour, character-based program filled with fun activities such as music, outdoor play, games and movies so that both parents and children gain the most positive experience possible.
Finally Home Foundation has tailored the Family Wellness course to be relevant for foster and adoptive parents, and Banning applauded the adaptability of the curriculum to meet the needs of the unique audience. According to Mark Van Druff, another member of the teaching team, the most impactful part of the class was seeing families laugh together and have fun during the interactive segments. Since these participants all share similar challenges as foster/adoptive parents, the classes offer them a chance to encourage and support one another in their very unique parental roles, explained Van Druff.
As a part of the FuturoNow Family Strengthening Initiative over the last year, Finally Home Foundation has provided extensive support services for over 50 families. They have established numerous partnerships with local business and churches that offer their facilities and volunteers for Family Wellness courses and outreach events. In addition, Finally Home has established a dynamic partnership with other local organizations that provide various support services for foster kids, siblings, parents, and whole families.
Finally Home Foundation was created by a team of committed leaders that includes seasoned foster/adoptive parents who contribute as a response to the isolation they have experienced during the most challenging times in their expanded family experience. They came to realize that the most accessible resources for adoptive parents are focused solely on the adoptive child, and rarely focused on strengthening the marriage that supports the child.
Van Druff, who is an adoptive parent and also serves on Finally Home's board, noted that many parents walk into the Family Wellness classes discouraged and sometimes in conflict about the choices they have made to bring a troubled child into their home. They walk out encouraged and inspired to continue in their roles as foster parents.
"We have only received positive feedback from every one of our participants," explained Amanda Estrada, Finally Home's Children's Program Coordinator. "One parent even told us that we brought hope to their seemingly hopeless situation."
In addition to Family Wellness curriculum, Finally Home Foundation has offered "couples night out" events offering free childcare services with community volunteers, follow up mentoring, and other follow up services in year one.
For year two, Finally Home plans to serve over 100 families, and expand services beyond Orange County. The staff also hopes to provide professional mentors for families, and see support networks created among families who have undergone the same struggles and challenges as adoptive/foster parents. |
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Promising Practices Guide for Healthy Marriage Programs
TELACU Mentioned as Key Resource
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TELACU, partner in the FuturoNow Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI), was mentioned as a key resource in a promising practices guide released this January on building HMI programs.
The guide was published by leaders of the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center, and was created to assist organizations in establishing Healthy Marriage and Relationships programs for low income and culturally diverse populations.
The guide is especially helpful for individuals looking to establish HMI programs in existing organizations, or those whose groups are asked to join an HMI coalition. It is also useful for donors considering the funding of HMI programs as well as consultants and training and/or technical assistance contractors.
To read the full guide online, click here. |
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Upcoming Trainings
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Parent Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT)
(DV Facilitators only)
When: Thursday, July 30
1:30 pm- 3:30 pm
Where: House of Ruth Inc.
599 North Main Street, Pomona
CA 91768
Gives facilitators a set of tools to use in conjunction with marriage education program curriculum to support families and individuals.
Domestic Violence 8 hour Training
(New DV Coordinators and Facilitators)
When: Thursday, October 1, 2009 Where: House of Ruth Inc.
599 North Main Street, Pomona CA 91768
Provides facilitators with the protocol for how to conduct
classes for the FuturoNow Healthy Marriage Initiative to
creates a safe environment for victims of domestic violence.
Year 4 DV Training Refresher
(For Returning DV Coordinators and Facilitators Only)
When: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Where: TELACU Office
5400 E. Olympic Boulevard, Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90022
Year 4 Curriculum Training
Family Wellness Recertification
When: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Family Wellness Training
When: September 17-19, 2009
LuvU2 Curriculum Training
When: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Within My Reach Curriculum Training
When: October 15-17, 2009
For more information and to register contact Naomi Gamez.
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