Fatherhood Channel

After becoming trained as Marriage Education Instructors by the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation in 2011, Deborah and Todd Lovell today lead marriage retreats for visually-impaired Veterans and their spouses at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.

PAIRS VA Marriage Retreats are today helping thousands of Veteran couples restore love, intimacy and trust through programs offered by many of the 300 VA Chaplains and Behavioral Health professionals trained by the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation.

Without a doubt, the greatest gift of 2011 has been the gift of each other – loved ones who cheer, support, encourage, and bring out the best in each other through good times and challenging ones too.

Milton Eisenberg, a highly respected Washington, D.C. attorney who helped build the litigation department for the Fried Frank law firm, died yesterday at his home in Washington, D.C. A son says goodbye to his father and longtime hopes for the conversations they never had.

Lauren DelGandio will serve as Program Director for Operation Sacred Trust, OST, a $1 million grant project funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families Initiative, to help end homelessness among Veteran families in South Florida.

Strong marriages and families may be the most effective tool for helping Veterans overcome visible and invisible wounds of war. The Veterans Administration is investing millions in new approaches that help loved ones help each other.

Four of South Florida’s leading nonprofits with a long track record of service to Veterans were awarded $1 million by the Veterans Administration last week to implement “Operation Sacred Trust.” The initiative aims to provide a model of community collaboration, innovative services, and access to affordable housing to end homelessness among Veteran families.

Hampton VA Chief of Chaplains Sue Cross encourages her staff to have dreams and works to give them resources to be successful. She says PAIRS training helped her communicate when she needs support and encouragement.

It wasn’t Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire or money that protected him from an attacker during questioning before a committee of the British Parliament yesterday. His wife, Wendi Deng Murdoch, instantly leapt to his defense, pushed away the attacker, and returned to comfort her husband.

A marriage education proposal for Bachelorette Ashley Hebert could help millions of viewers learn more about the foundation of lasting love.

Seth Eisenberg had a front row seat to the birth of marriage and relationship education. In an “I am ME” feature, he talks about early inspirations, challenges facing couples, and qualities for which he’d most like to be admired.

As Carmageddon began, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced their own marriage detour. For the 60-75% of Southern California couples approaching their own relationship bumps and off-ramps, Carmageddon may be just what the doctor ordered.

Actors Dominic Purcell, 41, and AnnaLynne McCord, 23, are one of Hollywood’s hottest couples. Whether we soon see AnnaLynne hitting the southern California surf or Dominic helping out at charity events will say much about the Jail Break star’s hope to continue a new chapter in his life.

How can nine hours in a marriage and relationship education class help couples speeding towards separation or divorce suddenly embrace each other with a renewed sense of purpose, hope and passion?

More and more couples are participating in marriage education and relationship skills training. Two recent studies provide strong scientific evidence that brief educational programs deliver lasting improvements in marital satisfaction, resilience, and can prevent divorce.

Susan Smith, founder of Muslim Family Matters, says relationship skills training helped her become more open, accepting and appreciative. As a marriage and relationship educator, she’s today helping other Muslim families learn skills to strengthen their relationships with each other.

A large, multi-year, federally-funded study of South Florida couples shows significant improvements in relationship consensus, cohesion, satisfaction, and affection a year after completing nine hours of skills training.

The BBC reports on helping aid workers better understand and care for themselves as the foundation to helping others.

The Veterans Administration is helping chaplains and behavioral health specialists learn new approaches to improve the well-being and resiliency of servicemen and women returning from deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Dr. Shirley Johnson began working for civil rights at the age of 10, inspired by the example of her father and leaders such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers and Rosa Parks. As a marriage education instructor, Dr. Johnson today helps teens and young adults embrace what she calls “one of the greatest blessings human beings have been given.”