1615 people surveyed, and top 20 answers on the board....
"What qualities do you cherish in a long lasting marriage?"

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED!
NORTH CAROLINA HEALTHY MARRIAGE COALITION FORMING HERE!

The Guilford County Marriage Resource Center of the Family Life Council is working with individuals from across the state to bring together congregations, organizations and individuals to form a North Carolina Healthy Marriage Coalition. The coalition is seeking community leaders who are willing to help build partnerships, work to secure funding, and help to plan and implement events. A Steering Committee is forming from interested participants and will meet on Thursday, October 19 at 12:30 at the Bardolph Building in Greensboro.

The Family Life Council has been working on marriage education for more than 10 years. In 1995, we brought the Greensboro faith community together to build a Community Marriage Covenant, which has now been signed by more than 100 congregations. We have done a number of state-wide trainings, on Couple Communication, PREP, PREPARE and marriage mentoring. We helped to establish marriage education programs in Alamance and Davidson Counties and have hosted two African American Healthy Marriage Summits.

North Carolina leaders who have committed their support for a North Carolina Healthy Marriage Coalition include Senator Kay Hagan (Guilford County), Senator Dennis Hoyle (Gaston County), Ralph Owen and Charles Wimmer (Mecklenberg County), Rene Hinson (Forsyth County), Dr. Bob Felts (Alamance County), Cynthia Harris (Wake County), Bill Seabrook and Teresa Rankin (Gaston County), Dr. Anne Jones and Dr. Dennis Orthner (UNC).

We would like to have broad representation from individuals who are committed to making marriage education a reality across the state. If you are interested in being involved, contact Cynthia Dorman, Executive Director of the Family Life Council, at 336 333-6890 x 224.

February 2007 will be "Marriage Month."

While we are sitting here with the beginnings of fall weather and the leaves just changing color, it is difficult to think past Thanksgiving, the holiday hustle of December and into the new year. However, February is coming and the time to plan for Marriage Month is NOW.

In 2001, the Marriage Advisory Committee for the Family Life Council decided that our community needed to focus on supporting healthy marriages in a visible way, all at the same time. After some research, we learned that the week just before Valentine’s Day each year is celebrated on a national level as “National Marriage Week.” We decided that Guilford County could do one better and Marriage Month was born.

February is a great opportunity for organizations across this county to create programs, sermons, newsletter articles, and celebrations focused on marriage. We have heard of some incredibly creative ideas from past years and are eager to hear about what is planned for this year.

• Consider how your organization can be involved. Could it be by honoring long-married couples, celebrating newly weds, creating a date-night for couples with small children, having a romantic dinner (maybe with music), hosting an enrichment series or a speaker?
• The Guilford County Marriage Resource Center has a team of qualified staff and volunteers all skilled at leading groups. Call or email us to discuss how we can help your organization. We would love to help!
• If you have something planned, even if it is without our help, please let us know. We’d love to include your program in a list on our website and in special publicity for Marriage Month. Let this community see that your organization supports healthy marriages!

“Let’s Talk Month” is a national public education campaign celebrated as an opportunity for communities and families to plan programs and activities which encourage parent-child communication about sexuality issues. The campaign is directed at agencies, religious institutions, businesses, schools, media, parent groups and health providers to encourage their participants to talk to their youth about sexuality and healthy relationships.

The focus of the campaign is to assist parents who are:

• afraid they won’t know the right answers,
• afraid discussion will encourage experimentation,
• unsure about what to discuss at what age,
• wanting to wait until “later”.

Why should parents talk about these tough topics?:

• Create a relationship where children and youth can talk to their parents about these issues, it is the only way to have an influence on your child.
• Our children are receiving messages about sexuality whether we ever speak up or not.
• We must choose to matter in our children's lives.

From a US News survey...

"While kids want to know more, they also worry about how their parents will react if they go to them with a tough issue. Among the reasons kids don't go to their parents when something is bothering them, is that they don't want to worry them (61%). Seven out of ten 8-11 year olds (67%), and 81 percent of 12- 15 year olds, say they keep things secret from their parents at least some of the time."

Start today with the conversations you need to have about sexuality and healthy relationships!