Fatherhood Channel

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Cecil and Mary Robinson eat and breathe football and a passion for empowering couples to win at marriage.

A non-partisan group of experts, scholars, and concerned citizens have come together to urge states to put the brakes on no-fault divorce practices they claim encourage hundreds of thousands of couples each year to split-up instead of make-up.

For Kirk Johnson, skills training is the foundation for understanding and navigating matters of the heart. Widely known as “Mr. Matters,” Kirk teaches relationship skills daily to a worldwide audience through “Matters of the Heart” radio broadcasts from The Bahamas.

When couples began approaching Pastors Steffon and Audrey Josey about relationship issues, they realized they needed concrete, practical, proven solutions. Since training in PAIRS, they’ve touched the lives of hundreds of couples, singles and youth in the U.S. and internationally.

Fabiola Ana Torrez teaches relationship building skills to parents of special needs children in South Florida to help them face life together and give youngsters the greatest opportunity to fulfill their potential.

As people throughout the world pause today to remember the victims of the Holocaust, a father remembers his son and urges courage and vigilance in the face of evil.

Lauren DelGandio came to a marriage education class in 2007 for skills to strengthen her marriage of 14 years. Four years later, she’s helped more than a 1,000 others discover greater love, happiness and pleasure in their closest relationships.