Wow, you guys are paying attention/Weld County, Colorado - 10/06

[Smartmarriages]

I can't believe how quickly I got replies to the ACF awards notice.  Clearly
many of you were just sitting by the computer waiting. At least the waiting
is over.  

Also, I want to thank those of you on the list that are not at all
interested in these grant announcements and funding issues.  We thank you
for your PATIENCE. This soon will pass.

Please excuse my typo - there were 124 Marriage Grants - in my haste I typed
12.  So, 124 Marriage Grants and 100 Fatherhood grants.

And, I forgot to say, CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!!  And, upwards and
onwards to those that didn't get awards - including me. Those of us without
funding will just have to get even more creative and try to surf the big
wave - you know what they say, all ships rise on the rising tide, or
something like that. (Yes, you read right: Dennis Stoica, Julie Baumgardner
and I did NOT win the grant for the National Healthy Marriage Resource
Center. That went to Public Strategies in Oklahoma/Mary Myrick.)

AND, I'm impressed with your lightening ability to assess (states with
higher divorce rates not getting as much per capita as states with low
divorce rates); calculate (how many grants per state and how much went per
capita to citizens of one state vs another state based on population -
someone pointed out that Colorado and Missouri were big winners in that
regard); and speculate (someone said that Smart Marriages should take credit
that Texas won the most grants probably because Smart Marriages met in Texas
in 2004 and 2005 - hmmmm, nice if true).

I'll try to answer a few questions to the best of my ability.  I also have
figured out from phone calls and want to remind all of you that many of you
are hitting reply when you read the list serv. I do NOT see those emails. To
reach me do not hit reply. You must send a new/separate email addressed to
me at (diane "at" smartmarriages.com )   I am not answering my phone anymore
today.  I have to get busy on the Denver Smart Marriages Conference!

1) To best of my understanding this is the complete and final list of the
Marriage and Fatherhood grants.  But I'm not inside ACF and do not have
anyway to completely assure you that that is the case. Know some of you are
still hoping and I suppose anything is possible - but I think it would take
a miracle at this point for there to be changes/additions to the list.

2) To best of my understanding the Compassion Capital Fund grants will be
announced by the end of this week.  If you want to keep checking to see if
the list is posted, go to: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ccf/   If any of
you see the list posted, please alert me so I can share the news.  There
will be about 300 of these "mini" capacity-building grants and one of the 4
priority areas was marriage, so there should be at least 50 "marriage mini"
CCF grants announced. ?? There will also be something like 10 intermediary
grants and a few of those might deal with marriage.  We have to just wait
and see. 

3) You're asking if there will be future funding, future grant
announcements.  The 224 Marriage and Fatherhood Initiative grants announced
today are on a five-years basis (they're good for five years and use up this
entire pot of money).  However, ACF will probably continue to announce
"marriage" strengthening grants out of their usual channels: the Children's
Bureau, Child Support, Refugees, CCF, etc.

It would be a good idea if every winner would sit down and write their
elected officials (congress and senate) and thank them, assure them that the
money will be put to excellent use, and ask them to continue and EXPAND
Marriage Education funding.  This was a very close call - a tied vote, and
we need to thank the supporters and ask for and earn their continued
confidence.  Which is another reason all of us have to help the winners
succeed.   

4) Then there is always the "1% Solution".  I know that the Maryland
contingent led by Mike McManus and Nisa Muhammed are going to the state
house this week to lobby for a 1% set aside of Maryland TANF monies for
marriage education.  See
http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/2006-August/003109.html

5) Yes, all 224 Marriage and Fatherhood winners were notified in advance.
So, the winners were not sitting by their computers waiting - that was just
the rest of us.  The winners are already hard at work - they've got people
to hire and jobs to do.  I WILL POST A LIST OF JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE NEAR
FUTURE. Winners, send you job listings.

6) Some of you are asking for an annotated list of winners.  Like wanting me
to connect up names you would recognize from attending Smart Marriages
conferences to the organizational names on the list.  Examples: Pairs
Foundation is easy - most of you know that's Lori Gordon. Laugh Your Way is
another easy one: Mark Gungor.  But you might not recognize Therapy Help as
Susan Heitler and her Power of Two program, or Live the Life Ministries as
Richard Albertson in Tallahassee, or might not connect Auburn University
with Francesca Alder Baeder or Forest Institute with Jennifer Baker.  I'll
TRY to get to that.

7) And, as some of you point out those that received advance notice have
already contacted their local media and there are articles appearing like
the one below from Colorado.  We can expect to see 100s of such
announcements - jubilation as we enter this new era!  I'll not share all of
them - just the big overview pieces - but this one was first, so here it is:

- MARRIAGES GET A $5 MILLION BOOST IN WELD COUNTY
> The Tribune [Greeley Colorado - 60 miles north of Denver]
> Joanna Larez
> October 3, 2006
> 
> A $5 million grant opened the door for a stronger focus on healthy marriages
> in Weld County.
> 
> Officials announced Monday that the county received a U.S. Department of
> Health and Human Services' Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant.
> 
> Marriage education and enrichment classes are part of the healthy marriage
> program that will be available for low-income families beginning January 2007.
> 
> "Marriage education workshops have traditionally worked for the middle class,"
> said Simone Brown, faith-based community services coordinator.
> 
> Southern Weld residents will be the main focus because they have less access
> to services in Greeley, Brown said.
> 
> Transportation and baby-sitting programs will be available. Couples can get
> out and meet others while working to make their family stronger.
> 
> Weld County Department of Social Services will plan the activities and
> contract with community and faith-based organizations to implement them.
> 
> The grant also will fund management resources to help the families that go
> through the marriage classes with finances, conflict resolution, substance
> abuse education or treatment, employment, nutrition classes and better access
> to health care and insurance.
> 
> "We're hoping with improved marriage relationships the family will improve,"
> Brown said.
> 
> The number of people ages 15 and older married in Weld County has decreased by
> about 1.5 percent while divorce rates increased nearly 1 percent between 2000
> and 2005 estimates, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
> 
> Focusing on healthy marriages is a proactive step by the county, said Weld
> County Commissioner Mike Geile.
> 
> "It gives us an avenue to solve some major social issues," Geile said.
> 
> The program will work to prevent divorce and hopefully prevent other social
> problems such as gangs, methamphetamine, domestic and child abuse in Weld,
> Geile said.
> 
> Interested couples must apply to participate in the program.
> 
> U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave requested the grant in June.


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