Strong Marriages Florida - watch the press conference - 2/4/09

[Smartmarriages]

Diane, 

You can watch yesterday's press conference held in Tallahassee.  I think you
would have been thrilled.  Here's the link:
http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/38928504.html#

We also had a news feed that sent it to every Florida TV station plus it
went out on the AP wire.   John Stemberger, Director of Strong Marriages
Florida, committed to recruit up to 500 churches for this state-wide
campaign and to bring 100 churches to the Fireproof Institute at the Smart
Marriages Conference in Orlando!
http://www.smartmarriages.com/fireproof.ministries.html

Here is my press statement.
 
Bringing Marriage Back in Florida
Statement by Richard Albertson
Founding President ­ Live the Life
February 3, 2009 
Florida Press Center
Tallahassee, FL 

Every American has been touched by the alarming breakdown of the family in
some way ­ whether by more crime, higher taxes, declining neighborhoods and
schools, or personal pain.  Children especially suffer, enduring pain that
will last a life time, and scars that may never fully heal.

The continuing breakdown of marriage and family in America has resulted in a
crisis at every level.  We are watching our society become defined by a
growing ³culture of rejection.²  Numerous scholarly studies have documented
the tragic results for individuals, communities, and the entire nation.
These studies reveal that, on average:

CHILDREN SUFFER MOST FROM THE BREAKDOWN OF MARRIAGE

ADULTS BENEFIT FROM HEALTHY MARRIAGES

TAXPAYERS PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF MARRIAGE

BUSINESSES BENEFIT FROM STRONG MARRIAGES

While millions of people are deeply troubled by the breakdown of marriage
and families in our society, most have no idea WHAT TO DO about it.  They
hesitate to go against the tide of popular culture, which dismisses marriage
as outdated and dying.  Others feel the problem is just too big to solve.

The time has come to ³Bring Back Marriage² in Florida!

There is good news.  People from all walks of life across the country are
uniting in a growing grassroots ³marriage movement.²   They are turning the
tide in dozens of cities across the country, proving that if we act, we can
restore marriage as the treasured institution it once was.

Achieving success on the marriage front in Florida will require a sustained
effort, and I am honored to stand here today with John Stemberger and the
Florida Family Policy Council to launch the ³Strong Marriages Florida²
Campaign.   John¹s vision to strengthen marriages and families in Florida is
bold, substantive, and inspiring.  We are committed to building
collaborative partnerships across racial lines, denominational lines,
economic lines, and political lines to achieve the objectives John has
outlined today.  

Live the Life has been working toward these same goals at the local level
here in Tallahassee.  Founded in 1998, Live the Life is now recognized
nationally as a pioneer in the marriage movement.  Currently we offer 5
marriage education programs ­ all selected because they are based upon
research that demonstrates results.

The WAIT Training program is targeted to middle and high school students to
help prepare them for lifelong marriage.  WAIT Training teaches young people
the Sequence of Success: 1) Graduate from High school, 2) Don¹t have sex
until you get married, 3) Don¹t get married during the teen years. Research
clearly indicates that young people who do these three things have
significantly better life outcomes.   Live the Life offers 6-8 hours of
marriage education to 7th, 9th, and 11th graders in 3 High schools, and 4
middle schools in the Florida Big Bend.

HOW TO AVOID MARRYING A JERK ­ is a program designed to provide singles,
college students, and divorced individuals with a plan for pacing a
relationship and exploring the key areas that foreshadow what that partner
will be like in marriage.

Start Smart is a comprehensive premarital program Live the Life developed
that asks engaged couples:  ³Do you want the 5 year plan or 50 year plan?²
It includes a premarital inventory with research-driven questions, a 50 page
workbook which includes family budget planning, exploring expectations in
marriage, and laying a solid foundation for a life long marriage.  It
includes a 4 hour communication and conflict resolution skills-building
course.  We are partnering with approximately 45 local churches to provide
8-12 hours of mentoring to engaged couples with trained marriage coaches/
mentors.

PAIRS is for married couples who want a good marriage to become great.  It
is also for struggling marriages that are hanging by a thread.  PAIRS is an
internationally acclaimed marriage education program to help couples foster
intimacy, strengthen and improve their marriage, and resolve relationship
conflicts.  PAIRS is a research based, skills-building workshop that
provides specific, attainable skills for successful communication.  These
skills lead to effective problem solving, expressing anger safely, fighting
fairly for change, and eliminating dirty fighting.

Mastering the Mysteries of Love is also for married couples.  It helps
couples replace questions with answers, exchange anxieties for hope, turn
isolation into intimacy, and gain a mastery of love.  Mastering the
Mysteries of Love (MML) is an interactive, hands-on program that spotlights
ten essential relationship skills that work together to change how people
listen, talk, solve problems, and relate to one another.

More than a decade ago, we partnered with Mike McManus and 70 area churches
to adopt the Tallahassee Community Marriage policy and implement marriage
education programs.  Since this collaborative partnership was signed, the
divorce rate in Leon County has dropped 29.6%.  This is happening at the
same time the divorce rate is climbing statewide.  In 2007, the number of
divorces filed in Leon County dropped below 1,000 for the first time in 20
years.  If the divorce rate had remained constant during the last decade,
there would be 716 more divorced couples in 2007, costing Leon County
taxpayers more than $21 million using Dr. David Schramm¹s model.

We look forward to working alongside the Florida Family Policy Council and
other partners to re-establish a culture that champions marriage at every
level of society, and leaves a legacy to our children and grandchildren of a
state that treasures marriage and strengthens families in every way.

 
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13th Annual Smart Marriages® Conference, Shingle Creek Resort,
Orlando, Florida, July 6-12, 2009 (General Conference July 8-11)
Pre-Conference Training Institutes July 6-8
Post-Conference Training Institutes July 12
 
Shingle Creek Resort: http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/

Conference schedule, registration, & exhibit information:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/conferencedetails.html

List your program and resources on the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com/directory_browse.html

Order conference audio & video CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or
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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

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