My Platform Has a New Name...Family Matters

My platform has a new name! I chose the name "Family Matters" because it encompasses my primary messages:

First, family matters:
(a) Children of divorce and children experiencing instability in their home lives are often unable to reach their potential in the classroom (academically as well as socially) because we as adults and as a community fail to recognize and address this family instability. This part of my message focuses on the problem and negative impacts of the problem of lack of support for children from nontraditional families.

(b) Children whose parents have a healthy, thriving marriage tend to do better socially and academically.

(c) A healthy, satisfying marriage enriches every area of your life. Individuals in self-reported happy marriages tend to do better in their roles at work, home, and in the community. Of course, happy marriages are rewarding in their own right as well. I believe marriage teaches us to be better people.

Second, Family Matters expresses that the solution to the problem is to discuss and address "family matters".
(a) Peer support and educator training focus on helping children accept the new family status, showing them tangibly that they are not alone, that how they are feeling is natural and that there are ways to help themselves feel better -- while helping the adults in their lives to guide children to develop healthy coping skills.

(b) The secrets to a happy, lasting, satisfying marriage can be learned! We can do so much to enrich our relationships including protecting our relationships from negative, eroding patterns of interaction, handling issues well, learning to solve problems from a teamwork mindset, clarifying and communicating our expectations and protecting and nurturing fun, friendship, sensuality, sexuality, and spirituality -- all of the things that make relationships wonderful.

(c) When we choose, as a community, to embrace the fact that family matters and educate ourselves, do our part, and make conscious decisions to make healthy relationships and guidance for children a priority, all of our community benefits. No man is an island. We're all connected to each other. The health of a family increases the health of our community -- and that is a beautiful thing.

My service goals are to
*to educate the community about the experiences of children of divorce and the need for relationship education,
*to offer individual and community-based solutions to help children and youth,
*to increase access to divorce support programming,
*to connect students, parents and educators to divorce support programming,
*to connect individuals to relationship classes,
, and
*to build on strengths to help students and families recognize their self-worth and develop a strong, healthy family identity, make healthy choices, and meet their potential.

This summer, I began research to start a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under this name, but I quickly found that that course of action is unnecessary. Oklahoma has MANY wonderful nonprofits and private / public partnerships that support families in these ways and others, including the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, the Bethel Foundation, Blended Love, Calm Waters, Divorce Care for Kids, Divorce Care, Kendall Whittier, Inc., Family & Children's Services, and many more organizations throughout the state that do what they can to support families and help them gain or regain to stability. There is no need for another organization to compete for funding while trying to meet the same needs. Instead, I'm focusing on connecting people to these resources and working with existing organizations using the skills, knowledge and connections I have to try to help them achieve their missions and make their visions a reality. Please contact me if there is anyway I can help. Enough about me and my goals...I hope you like the new name! I will post developments soon!