Seeds | Rotating Crops | TEXAS seed money!! | Mother Nature at work - 5/30/07

[Smartmarriages]

- DOSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR WHAT'S COMING IN DENVER
- WHICH BRINGS US TO AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: CHANGING WORKSHOP SELECTIONS
- TEXAS EYES WELFARE FUNDS TO PROMOTE MARRIAGE
- MATCHMAKERS WOULD NEVER HAVE PAIRED THESE TWO

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- DOSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR WHAT'S COMING IN DENVER
(( This shows that the effects of the conference can take time...these seeds
were two years in germinating.  So, while Joneal says her email is to add
excitement to those heading for the Denver conference, I think her "seeds"
metaphor might be most helpful in giving hope to those of you that have
attended a conference in the past who are still working the garden.  Keep
watering and weeding!

> Diane, Here is an extra dose of encouragement for those already excited about
> the conference in Denver.  I want to share with the list how valuable the
> Dallas 2005 Smart Marriages conference was to me and to my community!

> I took five of our church leaders with me and they attended the Third Option
> Workshop (Smart Marriages Impact Award Winner that year) and learned all about
> this "teach out of the box" program. This week, we began a "Third Option
> Class" at our church and had 90 people attend on the first night! The buzz
> around our church is that this is the best thing we have offered in our family
> ministry program yet.

> My goal that summer in Dallas was to plant the marriage education seed
> inside the hearts and heads of some of our church's most influential
> leaders. After much prayer and meetings, over the past 2 years, that seed
> has flourished. It will be amazing to see the harvest in the years to come.

> Thank you, Diane for your leadership. I don't believe I would ever have heard
> or learned about The Third Option without Smart Marriages and the conference.
> 
> Joneal Kirby, PhD, LMFT
> Director, Christian Counseling and Resource Center
> and The Marriage and Family Ministry of White's Ferry Road Church of Christ
> West Monroe, LA.

It's true.  There are all kinds of community-changing surprises (hidden
treasures) at the conference. Here is the inscription from the Third Option
award: "To Pat Ennis, MSW: For The Third Option, an exemplary and
extraordinary marriage education program that sets the standard for all to
follow." 

See other award winners at: http://www.smartmarriages.com/impact.awards.html

And check out other TOOB programs being taught at the conference at:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/toobs.html

And, here is the Third Option workshop. The description doesn't mention how
incredibly affordable and effective this program is or how much pleasure it
seems to give those that teach it.  As I've heard from so many, this program
is not just a joy for the couples, but for the mentor instructors and
communities that provide it. - diane

> 312 - Friday afternoon, June 29, Denver
> The Third Option ­ TOOB
> Pat Ennis, MSW and a mentor couple
> Give couples a THIRD option ­ not endurance, not divorce. This
> enrichment/crisis group program is ongoing! Couples attend as needed.
> Self-contained manual makes it easy to implement.

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- WHICH BRINGS US TO AN IMPORTANT QUESTION: CHANGING WORKSHOP SELECTIONS

> Diane, 
> I need to change two workshops.  We had a meeting this morning and I realized
> that I need to attend two "community initiative how to" workshops.  What would
> make these changes easiest on you?  Sorry to bother you at this busy time.
> EF

Actually, this is a less busy time than in Denver when we're trying to
process changes at the registration desk.  If you FAX your changes BEFORE
June 2nd to FAX:651-489-3387, we can adjust your badge before mailing it.
Otherwise, just wait to do it in Denver.   - diane

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- TEXAS EYES WELFARE FUNDS TO PROMOTE MARRIAGE
By Cheryl Wetzstein
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 27, 2007

((I imagine this article will inspire changes into Chris Gersten's "1%
Solution" workshop. - diane ))

> 320- Fri, June 29, Denver
> Getting State Money: The 1% Solution
> Chris Gersten
> Learn how to access state marriage money ­ how to open doors and build
> relationships with state and federal elected and appointed officials.


Texas may soon join a growing list of states that use some of their federal
welfare funds for promoting healthy couples' relationships and strengthening
marriage.

One bill before Gov. Rick Perry -- HB 2683 -- would provide $7.5 million a
year for premarital education classes, marriage-enrichment activities and
programs to help unwed parents strengthen their relationships.

A separate bill, HB 2685, would double Texas' marriage-license fee to $60,
but waive it -- and a 72-hour waiting period -- for couples who take an
eight-hour premarital education class.

Texas House Appropriations Committee Chairman Warren Chisum, a Republican,
pushed the measures, saying if more money is spent on the "front end" of
family formation, less money would have to be spent on the "back end,"
caring for families after separation and divorce.

Chris Gersten, who founded the Fatherhood and Marriage Leadership Institute
(FAMLI) to encourage marriage through political action, applauded the Texas
bills.

It "elevates the value of marriage in the community," said Mr. Gersten, a
former official at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

FAMLI advocates a "1 percent solution," in which states set aside 1 percent
of their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) federal welfare
grant to encourage "the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."

If Mr. Perry signs HB 2685, Texas will join several other states that have
allocated funds from TANF or other state sources for marriage promotion, Mr.
Gersten said. Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and
Utah have all set aside funds for marriage, in amounts ranging from $100,000
in Georgia to $750,000 in Utah.

There is bipartisan support for funding marriage and relationship-skills
education, Mr. Gersten said.

In March, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed a law that included
$250,000 for marriage-strengthening activities. This made New Mexico "the
first 'blue' state, with a Democratic governor and Democratic-controlled
House and Senate to pass" such legislation, he said.

"For those of us who see healthy marriages and families, not government, as
being the source of numerous social, health and economic benefits, it's
encouraging to see these monies spent on billboards and grass-roots training
promoting the vital role of marriage and family in our culture," said New
Mexico state Sen. Mark Boitano, a Republican, who pushed for the marriage
money.

The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center, run by HHS, lists at least 19
states that use federal, state or local funds to promote healthy
relationships among couples and families. Last fall, the department issued
$118 million a year to 225 pro-marriage and responsible-fatherhood groups
across the nation. The five-year grants will reach about $750 million when
research and related costs are included.

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- MATCHMAKERS WOULD NEVER HAVE PAIRED THESE TWO

A list member sent this in as "a sweet, later life marriage story".
I'm sharing it because it just goes to show that love and marriage are not
about "matching up" on a bunch of shared interests or personality traits.

TRAVEL / ESCAPES   | May 25, 2007
The New York Times 
Away:  Two Country Houses and One Romance, Made in Connecticut
By MAURA J. CASEY 
Life doesn¹t always imitate art. But sometimes it comes surprisingly close.

> The couple teased each other about all the ways they shouldn¹t be able to get
> along. The list is lengthy. She¹s a liberal; he is, he said, ³very
> conservative.² She¹s a night owl; he goes to bed early. She¹s an urban
> sophisticate; he likes nothing more than working on the orchards he has
> planted on his 50 acres.
For the article: 
http://tinyurl.com/2z9tw8


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11th Annual Smart Marriages Conference, Denver Adam's Mark Hotel,
June 28-July 1, 2007
Download a brochure: http://www.smartmarriages.com/Brochure.07.pdf


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Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
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http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332

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