Alabama Community Healthy Marriage Initiative

Healthy Marriages, Healthy Families, and Responsible Fatherhood

Monday, September 24, 2007

For the full social media release version, visit http://tinyurl.com/294pgy

News Release

Healthy Marriages, Healthy Families, and Responsible Fatherhood

State Conference on Best Practices

Opelika, AL., September 24, 2007 –

The Alabama Community Healthy Marriage Initiative will be hosting the first ever Healthy Marriages, Healthy Families, and Responsible Fatherhood State Conference on Best Practices September 24-26 at the Grand National Lodge in Opelika, Alabama.

This conference will bring together marriage and family professionals from all over the state to learn new ways to educate Alabama on the importance of parenting, marriage, fatherhood, and family. Topics covered will include improving marriage education class attendance, the effects of couples’ conflict on children, the importance of fatherhood, tips for marketing non-profits, creating unity within stepfamilies, and many more.

The conference will kick-off on Tuesday with opening remarks from the First Lady of Alabama, Patsy Riley, and various other state leaders. Jeanne Robertson, a nationally recognized humorist, former Miss North Carolina, and Auburn University graduate, will be the keynote luncheon speaker on Wednesday and Judge Glenda Hatchett will be the closing keynote speaker on Thursday.

The initiative is a partnership among the Human Development and Family Studies department at Auburn University, The Children’s Trust Fund, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, various state agencies, and family resource centers across the state dedicated to developing healthy families and relationships throughout Alabama. Dr. Francesca Adler-Baeder of Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences has been chosen as the project coordinator for the ACHMI program.

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