Fresno County Healthy Marriagecoalition

2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS--CLASSES: ALTOGETHER, 151 COUPLES (302 PEOPLE) ATTENDED 5 AND 6-WEEK (10 AND 12-HOUR) MARRIAGE EDUCATION (ME) CLASSES AT THIRTEEN(13) DIFFERENT VENUES. (TRAINED COACHES WERE UTILIZED AT CLASSES, HELPING THE COUPLES ATTENDING TO LEARN THE SKILLS CORRECTLY, TO ENABLE THEM TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AT HOME.) THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY CONTINUING TO BUILD PARTNERSHIPS WITH CHURCHES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO REACH MORE COUPLES WITH MARRIAGE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. IN ADDITION, TWO NEW CLASS FACILITATOR COUPLES WERE TRAINED.--MARRIAGE EVENTS: TO KEEP THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY MARRIAGES IN THE FOREFRONT OF COUPLES MINDS AND TO BENEFIT COUPLES, IN JANUARY A MARITAL FIRST RESPONDERS TRAINING WORKSHOP WITH 59 PEOPLE WAS FACILITATED BY FCHMC STAFF. IN FEBRUARY A MARRIAGE DINNER EVENT WITH 59 COUPLES WAS HELD. A COMEDY DATE NIGHT IN JUNE HAD 58 COUPLES IN ATTENDANCE, AND A MARRIAGE OLYMPICS EVENT HAPPENED IN AUGUST WITH 13 COUPLES COMING TO BUILD TEAMWORK WITH EACH OTHER IN A FUN DAY TOGETHER WITH OTHER COUPLES.--PREPARE/ENRICH CERTIFICATION TRAININGS: THREE SEPARATE TRAININGS AT THREE DIFFERENT CHURCHES WERE HELD IN 2023, WITH A TOTAL OF 16 PEOPLE BEING CERTIFIED TO USE P/E AS THEY MENTOR COUPLES.--INDIVIDUAL COUPLE MENTORING WAS PROVIDED BY STAFF TO TWO COUPLES FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 WEEKS EACH, USING THE PREPARE-ENRICH INVENTORY. --PASTORAL COUNSELING HUNDREDS OF HOURS WERE PROVIDED BY STAFF TO DOZENS OF COUPLES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO NEEDED MORE INTENSIVE ASSISTANCE.--FCHMC STAFF ATTENDED/SPOKE AT VARIOUS CHURCHES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND MARRIAGE EVENTS, INCLUDING BEING ON THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AS ABUNDANT LIFE RANCH HELD THEIR FIRST WEEKEND MARRIAGE RETREAT.--FCHMC STAFF ATTENDED THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR RELATIONSHIP AND MARRIAGE EDUCATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE (NARME SUMMIT) FOR TRAINING WITH MARRIAGE AND RESEARCH EXPERTS AND COLLABORATION WITH MARRIAGE MINISTRY LEADERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. STAFF ALSO ATTENDED MONTHLY TRAININGS FOR MARRIAGE MINISTRY LEADERS ONLINE VIA ZOOM, ORGANIZED BY THE COMMUNITY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE, A NATIONAL EFFORT. STAFF TRAINING BENEFITS THE CHURCHES, COUPLES, AND PEOPLE THAT THE FCHMC REACHES WITH CURRENT INFORMATION AND ADDITIONAL WAYS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT MARRIAGES.--THE FCHMC WEBSITE (WWW.GROWYOURMARRIAGE.COM) WAS CONTINUALLY UPDATED WITH THE UPCOMING RELATIONSHIP CLASSES AND MARRIAGE EVENTS OFFERED BY THE COALITION WITH ONLINE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE. THESE AND OTHER EVENTS WERE ALSO PROMOTED WITH AN EMAIL PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.--ENCOURAGING MESSAGES WERE SENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO COUPLES AND SPONSORS OF THE COALITION, THROUGH THE MAIL, EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA.--THE FCHMC CONTINUES TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS NEEDED TO SPEARHEAD A COUNTY-WIDE EFFORT TO HELP CHURCHES START OR EXPAND THEIR MARRIAGE MINISTRIES IN A COMMUNITY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE CALLED THE FRESNO AREA MARRIAGE INITIATIVE (FAMI). INITIALLY, BUILDING MORE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADDITIONAL LOCAL CHURCHES WILL EVENTUALLY ENABLE FCHMC TO PROMOTE THESE CHURCHES MARRIAGE EVENTS TO MORE COUPLES, AS WELL AS OFFER OUR CLASSES AND TRAINING TO THEIR COUPLES. FCHMC HOSTED FOUR (QUARTERLY) FREE BREAKFAST PASTORS ROUNDTABLE EVENTS IN 2023 TO SHARE INFORMATION, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE PASTORS, AND TO OFFER ASSISTANCE WITH THEIR MARRIAGE MINISTRIES. IN ADDITION, AT THE BEGINNING OF NATIONAL MARRIAGE WEEK (FEB 7-14) FCHMC STAFF WAS PRESENTED WITH A PROCLAMATION OF FRESNO COUNTY MARRIAGE WEEK AT THE FRESNO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING.--THE FCHMC ANNUAL FUNDRAISING DINNER EVENT WAS HELD IN SEPTEMBER WITH APPROXIMATELY 140 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE TO CELEBRATE MARRIAGE AND TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE BENEFITS OF HEALTHY MARRIAGES IN SOCIETY. THE EVENT PROVIDED AN ENTERTAINING KEEP THE MAGIC ALIVE DATE NIGHT EVENING WITH EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION AND GAMES, A REPORT OF THE COMMUNITY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE EFFORT, TESTIMONIES FROM COUPLES HELPED THROUGH FCHMC, AND FCHMC LEADERSHIP SHARING THE VALUE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE MISSION, AS WELL AS THE VISION AND NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE.