 |
|
The Allegany County Hope Center and its Planning Group are
recognizing and promoting National Marriage Week USA from Friday, February 7,
through Friday, February 14, which is Valentine's Day. From left are Anita Baird Jones, Robert
Stern, Kate Rulison and Denise Regan.
|
WELLSVILLE -- An Allegany County ministry is joining a
February National Marriage Week USA movement to highlight how strong, safe
marriages can result in happier relationships, lower poverty rates, and less
trauma among children which, left unmitigated, can last a lifetime.
The Hope Center, created as a Hub of Hope of Allegany County
churches, is participating with church, government, business, education, human
services and other community leaders throughout the country in this 11th annual
campaign that runs from Friday, February 7, through Friday, February 14 which
is Valentine's Day.
Casey Jones, Transformation Initiative -- Building Healthy
Communities Through Healthy FamiliesTM and chair of the Hope Center Planning
Group, said the recognition of strong marriages reflects the Center's year-around focus on community
awareness and education about subjects that help support individuals and
families.
Campaign organizers say a number of studies have shown that
married adults live longer lives, enjoy better health, and achieve greater
personnel happiness, including greater intimacy, wealth and financial stability
than those who simply are cohabiting.
Marriage also benefits children and reduces poverty, they
report, with children raised by both parents at home performing better in
school, and having lesser rates of addiction, teenage pregnancy and trouble
with the law. On the other hand, single
motherhood is the greatest cause for poverty among women and children,
according to the campaign, with healthy marriages saving U.S. taxpayers over
$110 billion annually from what would be the financial impacts associated with
divorce, along with unwed childbearing which now reflects nearly two out of
five children.
The Hope Center is encouraging married couples and those
considering marriage to engage with church and other Christian groups that can
provide safe connections and fellowship in support of marriage and parenting.
“Oftentimes, when
couples are going through difficult times, friends and family members start
taking sides in a non-constructive manner, helping to create further
dissensions and splits,” Jones said, “while safe friends and supports can help
couples overcome differences and preserve marriages and families.
“We frequently hear
about couples who are separating or divorcing, often causing extended periods
of hardship and ongoing strife, he noted.
“Many restored marriages also occur, however, even after separation or
divorce, celebrations of which often are ignored or short-lived because
animosity has ceased.
“Marriages can be
restored for those willing to work on them and, from a Christian perspective,
relying on Godly principles for marriage and families,” he said, with the
Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, reporting that
married parents are much more likely to stay together than cohabiting ones and
also earn more financially, resulting in much fewer cases of poverty.
Further information on National Marriage Week USA and the
positive impacts of marriage are available at www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org.
Resources to aid in achieving strong marriages, including
those involving military and step or blended families, are available at
www.familylife.com/articles/topics/marriage, with marriage booklets available
at the Hope Center during its 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday openings.
During March, the Hope Center will continue its families
focus with observance of National Reading Month, including its free, ongoing
reading and dyslexia assistance for children and adults, with a free children's
book giveway also being planned. Drugs
and alcohol awareness is planned for April, which also recognizes National
Prescription Drug Take Back Day, mental health awareness in May, and family
safety in June as summer vacations begin.
The Mission Genesee Valley coalition of churches and
Christian organizations, of which the Hope Center is a ministry, will highlight
suicide prevention during its monthly community prayer gathering on March 22,
and the county's drug issue on April 26, with locations to be determined.
Further information on the Hope Center and its activities
are available at www.facebook.com/HopeCenterAlleganyCounty. Those interested in becoming involved in this
multi-church movement to help strengthen individuals and families in Allegany
County and beyond can contact Jones at bps461@msn.com or (484) 435-0503.
