Clarification: Grant Reviews/Coffin Award ......6/30/06

[Smartmarriages]

- GRANT REVIEW: LENGTH OF COMMITMENT?
- BILL COFFIN'S SMART MARRIAGES IMPACT AWARD
- WADE HORN MESSAGE: DIVIDED WE FALL....

#####################################
- GRANT REVIEWING: LENGTH OF COMMITMENT?

Diane:

It's not completely clear to me from your message or the ACF website...do
you have to be available for ALL of these dates, or can you volunteer for
just one 5-day period?

S.

>> Reviews will be held during the following weeks this summer in Washington,
>> DC - expenses and stipend paid.  But don't bring the family thinking
>> you'll
>> have time to see the sites.  You'll be reading grants late into the night.
>> 
>> http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/grantreview/reviewing/step2_ofa_ads.html
>> 1-4 weeks starting last week in July (Mon-Sat) at National Conference
>> Center http://www.conferencecenter.com/ near Dulles airport.
>> 
>> *    July 24th-July 29th
>> *    July 31st-August 5th
>> *    August 7th-August 12th
>> *    August 14th-August 19th


Just one of them.  Any one week, or as many as you are able to serve.
Let me know if you do....if you apply, are accepted (or, rejected), and what
it's like after you serve. Everyone is curious.
- diane  

#########################
- BILL COFFIN'S SMART MARRIAGES IMPACT AWARD

I know many of you feel you are in debt to Bill Coffin for his work at
ACF/HHS as our national Marriage Education specialist and that you're also
very fond of him. If you weren't in Atlanta you missed his shock and awe as
we surprised him with the 2006 Smart Marriages Impact award.  It's on DVD if
you want to see just how surprised he was, or, you can get the idea just by
reading his email, below.  The session, however, also includes one of the
over-the-top, highest-rated sessions of the conference, "Message to Our Sons
and Daughters" by Rozario Slack and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead - a real
treasure of a session and a great one to show in your community marriage
initiatives.   Order: #756-03 on DVD, CD or MP3 at 800-241-7785 or at:
http://www.playbacknow.com/search/index.cfm?CFID=9984243&CFTOKEN=44318391&Pa
gemode=Individual&EventID=263160

> Diane
> You say, ³if one asks, many wonder², so let me clarify for others what you
> knowŠ..that I was surprised to receive the 2006 Smart Marriages Impact Award.
> So surprised that I continued to make the announcement you said I had to make
> as a way of getting me up to the podium, so surprised that I didn¹t take full
> advantage of my 15 seconds of fame by saying something profound, so surprised
> that all I could think of was that I had to transition to Scott and Julie to
> surprise you with our gift, and so surprised that I didn¹t even say ³thank
> you².  As I said later, thank you (and the awards committee)  so much.  I¹ll
> treasure it forever. Given that I¹m the father of four, the grandfather of
> four and the husband of one, it¹s the 10th best thing that ever happened to
> me!
> 
> Bill Coffin
> Special Assistant for Marriage Education
> ACF/HHS 

Here what it said on his Awards plaque:
> Bill Coffin, MEd: To the United States of America¹s first ever Special
> Assistant for Marriage Education for your far-reaching contributions that will
> affect many generations to come.  And for making David Mace, Pat, and all the
> rest of us so proud.
> 

And, thought I'd also share a comment from a member of the Awards Committee,
Aaron Larson: 

> Diane, You might want to say something about how he could have just as easily
> finished up his last year with the Navy kicked up his feet in his lazy boy and
> been able to watch ESPN all of the time. Instead he chose to postpone his
> retirement and begin a new career as the first ever Federal Healthy Marriage
> Specialist. He quickly set about the Herculean task of educating federal
> employees (many of whom were very skeptical of this whole marriage initiative
> idea) about marriage education and its benefits. At great sacrifice, he has
> spent many days away from his beautiful wife Pat traveling all of the country
> helping to educate people about the Federal Healthy Marriage Initiative and
> has spent countless hours patiently typing responses to all of the hundreds of
> emails with questions about the Initiative.  ­ Aaron Larson

###############################

- WADE HORN MESSAGE: DIVIDED WE FALL

Also, to those of you that missed Atlanta, or missed the opening night
session and Assistant Secretary Wade Horn's keynote, let me share part of
his message.  He agreed with us that there was great reason to celebrate the
historic moment and the $100 million a year finally available for Marriage
Education demonstration projects.  BUT he cautioned us that while many would
apply, few would be chosen -- and that we must guard against letting the
money divide us and our united effort, that we mustn't let the money rupture
our coalition or unravel our decade of progress.

The grant applications are now submitted. As we wait the three months to
hear who will receive awards, we must reaffirm our support for each other
and continue rowing together toward the goal of strengthening marriage in
America.  There will plenty of work to go around.  AND, if we can pull
together and help those that get the grants show that this stuff works,
there will be more money where that came from.  It feels to me that no
matter who gets the money, we're all winners.   - diane


**************************
Copyright CMFCE. All rights reserved.

To SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE to this Free e-newlsit, or change your
subscription address, use the form at (http://www.smartmarriages.com). Click
Newsletter - in the column under the puzzle piece.

Please respect our copyright. If you wish to use any of our content send an
email and request permission.

This newslist shares information on marriage, divorce and educational
approaches.  Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by members of the
Coalition.

This is a moderated list. Replies are read by Diane Sollee, editor. Please
indicate if your response is NOT to be shared with the list.  PLEASE include
your email address in with your signature.

To read ALL past posts to the newsletter, visit the Archive at:
http://archives.his.com/smartmarriages/

10th Annual Smart Marriages Conference, Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel,
June 22-25, 2006
Download the brochure and registration form at
http://www.smartmarriages.com/Brochure.06.pdf

List your program in the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com

Order conference audio & videos/CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or at
http://www.iPlaybackSmartMarriages.com

Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
5310 Belt Rd NW
Washington, DC 20015-1961
http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332 
diane at smartmarriages.com