Stories of Marriage Champions

Imagine if every town in American had marriage champions like these. You can make a difference in your community, too.

Marriage mentors Mildred and Allan Hunt Lead the Way in Bermuda

Nobody falls in love; they grow in love. That was the message from Allan and Mildred Hunt, organisers of the upcoming Marriage Week in Bermuda.

The Hunts have been married for 43 years and often counsel other couples. They started arranging Marriage Week a few years ago to promote the institution of marriage and its benefits which include, according to the Hunts, better health, a stronger financial picture, greater happiness and more stable children.

The Hunts not only aim to “big-up” marriage; they also want to help married people strengthen their relationships by giving them communication tools and advice.

See the full story here: 
http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120207/ISLAND03/702079999

Family Dynamics Institute in Atlanta with Robert and Stella Wilson

Dr. Robert and Stella Wilson have served more than 200 couples in the Atlanta, GA area by working as facilitators with Family Dynamics Institute, which offers both powerful enrichment classes, weekend workshops, and crisis intervention programs.

The Wilsons say "We invest in marriages because marriage is the foundation of church and society. If you get the marriage straight, everything else will follow. We'd been married for 25 years when we became FDI facilitators; we wish we had learned these truths long before. It took our marriage to a totally different level. It solidified the good and brought out the things we were missing."

For info about Family Dynamics Institute classes all around the U.S. go to www.familydynamics.net

Marriage Inc in Kankakee County: Shopping Mall Marriage Training

Marriage Inc in Kankakee County, IL, directed by Dr. Kent and Beth Olney, is setting up a booth at their local shopping mall during Feb. 7 to 14 where 8 different churches will volunteer to man the booth each of the 8 days to provide information about marriage classes, plus free counseling for the week, offered both from local churches and from Marriage Inc (which has marriage class at the Fitness Center starting in February, 2013).

The shopping mall booth will direct folks to FREE counseling during National Marriage Week USA, set up at a nearby storefront in the mall. Six local marriage counselors have offered their services free of charge that week, by appointments made through the booth and through Marriage Inc. All year long, Marriage Inc offers pre-marriage prep, marriage classes, and marriage mentoring services. They have 80 couples who are trained to provide marriage mentoring.

And they used National Marriage Week USA to get local news coverage for themselves, citing NMW executive director Sheila Weber's statistics and overarching goals of a national campaign to strengthen marriage. Click here to read the local story

Visit Marriage Inc. for more information 
http://www.marriageinc.org.

We Vow Now led by Tonya and Justin Waite in Longview, TX

Tonya and Justin Waite of We Vow Now pictured with a group who "graduated" at their couples retreat.
"We Vow Now," led by Tonya and Justin Waite in Longview, TX, has served more than 8000 couples in the last six years by offering private couple courses, weekend retreats, engaged workshops, and even marriage classes for businesses. They have a strong success rate—87% of their couples who graduate report they are happier in their relationship after graduation than when they started. Learn how this one community saturates their area with marriage strengthening opportunities at www.wevownow.com.
Tonya and Justin Waite with couples near Longview, Texas, celebrating Hispanic Marriage Day.

The Montalvos Mentoring Other Couples

Joe and Jackie Montalvo lead a marriage mentoring program every other Saturday at their church in the Bronx, New York City. Out of the 180 average attendees at their church, about 30 couples (60 people) attend the bi-monthly classes! Joe and Jackie have a heart for reaching out to married couples, specifically in their Hispanic community and throughout urban areas. They are a "poster couple" for making an impact in their neighborhood. Imagine if every church in America had marriage champions like the Montalvos!

Family Bridges Chicago

Executive Director Alicia La Hoz, Psy. D, has coordinated with more than 500 organizations and churches in metro Chicago to generate huge participation in a Date Night Campaign for married couples.

Family Bridges also coordinates workshops, family retreats, couple’s retreats, marriage and family conferences and other family-friendly events throughout the year, both in English and Spanish.  Imagine if every city had an effort to bring churches and organizations together to strengthen marriage. You can start the spark that leads to a brushfire in your town!

Learn how one city does it at www.familybridgeschicago.org.
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