WHY ORGANIZE a Community Healthy Marriage Initiative (CHMI)?
Why? Because building a community coalition or tapping into an existing one is
the best way to strengthen marriage in your state or community. There's strength
in numbers. 

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS - Includes positions created by Healthy Marriage grants
 

• MARRIAGE WEEK USA Feb 7 - 14 and year-round Marriage Initiative activities around the country: Ads, Billboards, ideas to borrow
 

NATIONAL REGISTRY of Community Marriage Resource Center (CMRC) WEB-Sites
Note: this is NOT a list of regional Community Healthy Marriage Initiatives (CHMIs) although
many CHMIs also have CMRCs. (CHMI listings.)
A Community Marriage Resource Center (CMRC) website is the most effective and COST efficient
way to organize and grow your CHMI. It's also the most effective and cost-efficient way for individual programs
and congregations in a region to promote their services and fill classes - that is, to get listed on
their regional CMRC.
Join forces and list your services on an existing web Resource Center in your area, or, if
there is not one in existance, create your own. Complete instructions below - it's easy and
inexpensive. Don't be discouraged if you didn't get federal funding. You don't need it.
If you are in a region listed below, send the CMRC your classes and they'll list them. It's FREE.
If you have created a CMRC, send it to be listed. There is no charge to list.
Also, visit the websites to see how you can join the community marriage efforts.
California Healthy Marriages Coalition
California: El Dorado
California: Orange County
California: Sacramento
California: Stanislaus/Modesto
Illinois: Chicago
Michigan: Wayne County
Missouri: Springfield
Nebraska: Omaha
New York: Central
North Carolina: Guilford County
Ohio Marriage Resource Center
Ohio: Miami Valley Resource Center
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia area
Tennessee: Chattanooga
Virginia: Central
Virginia: Richmond
Wisconsin Foundation for a Great Marriage

Sites under construction / coming soon:
Send your classes to the email addresses to list your programs on these developing sites.
Help them reach critical mass so they can be promoted up to the next level.
Listings are FREE on the sites and here at Smart Marriages.
- Alaska/Kenai Peninsula, Chuck Thornton - cthornton@fgbc.org
- Arizona/Phoenix, Paula Wright - pwright@azparenting.org
- Kansas, Michael Duxler - duxlerm@newmanu.edu
- Kentuckiana, Penny Hudson -pdhud9@aol.com
- Maine, Steve Beirne - sbeirne@maine.rr.com
- Maryland/Carroll County, Jim & Amy Gilford - jim.amygilford@gmail.com
- Maryland/Harford County, Norma Tilton - servlead@comcast.net
- Michigan/Western, Mark Eastburg - Sharon.Chapin@PineRest.org
- Pennsylvania/Venango County, Alan Adams - venangomarriages@yahoo.com
- Texas/Dallas/Ft Worth, Kelly Simpson - kellysimpson@sbcglobal.net
- Western Wisconsin, Judy Parejko - jparejko@juno.com
- Wisconsin/Sheboygan County, Charlene Lammers - director@yourmarriagematters.info

Dennis Stoica's FREE instructions on HOW TO create a Community Marriage Resource Center (CMRC) WEB SITE:
- Order overview/intro 90 min Stoica workshop from Smart Marriages Conference: $15 CD $9.95 download.
- FREE Stoica TEMPLATE & instructions
- Step-by-step guide for BUILDING A Marriage Resources WEB SITE in your community.
- Advice from Dick Cronk on how to create and maintain a WEB-MRC (join his list serve for MRC web masters.)

FEDERAL FUNDING:

• Federal Funding for Marriage Strengthening - government grant website
• Healthy Marriage Initiative GRANT Technical Assistance
• More technical assistance: glossary of terms, "how to write" grants, etc

• Federal Marriage-Strengthening Legislation - eight allowable activities (THE 8 allowable fundable activities)
on which the $100 million a year may be spent.

• GRANT WRITING - "how to" recordings from Smart Marriages
- Resources - research, evaluation, grant writing companies and services
- Collection of posts to the Smart Marriages E-newslist about Grants, grant workshops, etc.

• Grant Awards - posts/examples about past recipients

• PREP, Inc's grant writing help - research, making the case, etc.

• Successful Grant application Examples:

- Strengthening Marriages within the Child Welfare System of Orange County, CA

- Enhancing Relationship Skills and Confidence in Marriage in Fragile Families - Cleveland SIP GRANT - awarded 2003

- Family Connections in Alabama SIP GRANT - awarded 2003

State Handbooks/Community Marriage Covenant examples:

• Marriage Handbooks developed by states (AL, CO, FL, BC)
• Sample Community Marriage Covenant

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