Coastal Bend Healthy Marriage Coalition
www.cbhmi.org February 2009
COALITION MEMBERS
2-1-1 Texas/United Way Helpline Acorn Christian Counseling Alice Counseling Center
Central Christian Church Celebrates Valentine’s Day
Central Christian Church, 6301 Weber Rd. in
Corpus Christi will be helping couples celebrate Valentine’s Day with two very special events – dinner and a movie. On Saturday, February 14, 2009 a catered dinner and will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and dinner served at 6 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $10 per person and can be purchased by calling 853-9401 no later than Tuesday, February 10. There will be FREE childcare by reservation and the children will be served pizza. On that same day a FREE showing of the movie Fireproof will begin at 7 p.m. Fireproof is an action-packed movie about a fireman and his wife and the struggles in their marriage. The movie, staring Kirk Cameron, was released nationwide last year and spent several weeks in the Top 10 even though it played in less than 1,000 theaters each week. Fireproof has been referred to as the No. 1 inspirational film of 2008. The movie is free however tickets must be reserved in advance by calling 853-9401. Seating is limited to 200. Free childcare by reservation will also be provided for the movie event. As a follow up to the Valentine events, a sermon series based on the Fireproof movie will held on Sunday, February 15 at 10 a.m. For more information about Central Christian Church, call the church office at 853-9401 or log-on to www.centralchristiancc.org These events will be hosted by Central Christian Church which is located between Holly and Saratoga streets. Central Christian Church has organized a number of community activities in recent years. In the Fall of 2007 the church hosted a tailgate party with free food and a free showing of the movie Facing the Giants. In 2008 another tailgate party featured a car show.
AVANCE-Corpus Christi Central Christian Church Change Dynamics CB Christian Women’s Job Corps-Alice Communities in Schools, C.C, Inc. Family Counseling Service Family Enrichment & Play Therapy, PA Family Outreach-Corpus Christi, Inc. Fleet & Family Support Center - NASCC Ginger-Flewelling-Leeds VGFL Enterprises Maximus New Vision Northwest Behavioral Health Nueces County Community Action Agency Protective Operations Management Group SERCO of Texas Shelley & Assoc. Counseling & Consultant South Texas Family Connections So. TX Public Broadcasting System, Inc. Spaulding for Children Superior Health Plan Taking Back the Streets in the Name of Jesus Christ Ministries, Inc. TX Health & Human Services Commission The Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse CB The Women’s Shelter of South Texas Volunteer Center of the Coastal Bend Workforce Solutions
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
Rene Bourassa Leonor Cortez Kayla Devora Deborah J. Ferguson Ruben Garcia Jose M. Gonzalez Dorothy Guerrero Josie Kaufman Desiree Lara
Coastal Bend Healthy Marriage Coalition’s Mission
We believe it takes the entire community to build healthy marriages; therefore, the Coalition will promote healthy marriages and strengthen family relationships in our community through collaboration and education. The Coalition meets monthly and is open to any organization or individual who believes in promoting healthy relationships. To join, contact Pam Miles, President, at 361/225-1098 or pam.miles@coastalworksource.com
A project of the Nueces County Community Action Agency—Funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Linda National Raymundo Nesmith Vanessa Ortiz Yanira Perez Linda Rincon Ruby R. Rodriguez Marki Rowe * New Members Jo Beth Walter
2-1-1 Offers Assistance When the Unexpected Happens
When life presents an unexpected crisis and you don’t know where to turn for help, call 2-1-1 Texas. You’ll talk to a
trained specialist who will connect you with the services and people that can help get life back on track. 2-1-1 Texas is a free, information and referral line answered by nationally certified specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When callers dial 2-1-1, they are connected to area information centers in their region. These trained experts have access to the most comprehensive database of community-based organizations, government agencies and nonprofits that exist in Texas. Information can be provided in more than 150 languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. On February 11, 2009, all 2-1-1 centers nationwide will be recognized for their role in providing callers information about and referrals to human services for every day needs and in times of crisis. 2-1-1 was first launched by United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta in 1997 and in eight years since the FCC designation, has grown to serve over 234 million Americans which is 78 percent of the population. In the Coastal Bend region, 2-1-1 Texas is a public private collaboration of the United Way of Greater Houston and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. In 2008, over 15,000 calls were answered for the Coastal Bend area, connecting people to services such as affordable child care, food, shelter, clothing, medical and mental health assistance, eldercare, housing assistance, disaster relief and much more. 2-1-1 is connected to nearly every service in the state including government agencies, food pantries, career services, after-school programs, counseling services and many other state and local resources. It is a cost-effective answer to help the Coastal Bend community navigate the complex and ever-growing maze of human service agencies and programs. 2-1-1 is available to any person in Texas seeking information or assistance in finding where to get help. Case managers, clergy, employers, teachers and other agencies calling on behalf of a client, family member, employee, or student can access 2-1-1 at any time. Janna Shoe, LBSW, CIRS, serves as the local contact point and 2-1-1 Texas/Coastal Bend Outreach Coordinator. Ms. Shoe is available to answer questions concerning community presentations and outreach events. She can be reached at 361-742-5891.
Healthy Marriage February Events
February has historically been known as the month of love. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on this month and many
couples marry in February. To join with this theme, many events will take place in February to focus on Healthy Marriages. The first event will take place on Wednesday, February 4th at Nueces County Commissioners Court. On this day a Resolution will be read by the Court. This will be held at 9 a.m. at 901 Leopard St. in Corpus Christi. In addition, the week of February 9-13 will be recognized as “Healthy Marriage Week” with a number of activities to be held in commemoration. On February 10th, a Proclamation will be read by Mayor Henry Garrett at the Corpus Christi City Council meeting. The Proclamation will be read at noon, however, those interested in attending are asked to be at City Hall, 1201 Leopard St., at 11:30 a.m. In the evening, the 4th Annual Healthy Marriage Banquet will be held at First United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi for couples who have attended a Healthy Marriage session since September 2008. This event is by invitation only.
Beautify Your Love Life with Useful Romantic Ideas
It is a fact that every person who has existed on the earth has fallen in love at one point or the other and every one of us has employed some or the other romantic idea for strengthening the bond in our love lives. It is often said that love needs no boasting or showing off but how many of us can deny the excitement and happiness felt by us when our cherished lovers express their love feelings for us in beautiful and elegant ways. No matter how much we try to hide our real feelings, the truth remains that at one point or the other we expect our lovers to employ nice and graceful romantic ideas for announcing their love for us.
If you have fallen in the grip of love and are looking for some useful valentine ideas for conveying your love to your sweetheart, then you don’t have to look any further as we have come up with some fabulous romantic valentine ideas, which are surely going to help you.
• Send him or her a bunch of beautiful roses after every few hours. • Present him or her with 11 white roses and keep a red rose in between and
also send a love note saying, “Thank you for being a red rose in my colorless life.”
• Treat your loved beloved to a delicious and romantic dinner. • Put a love message in a beautiful bottle and float it in your beloved’s bathtub moments before he or she goes for
a bath.
• Order a heart shaped pizza and enjoy it with your sweetheart. • Record the love poems composed by you and keep the cassette in the car stereo so that your beloved can listen to
them while going to the office.
• Go on a walk with your sweetheart to the beach in the moonlight, and then celebrate the evening with a glass of
wine
• Once a week, send romantic e-cards or wallpapers to your beloved.
www.dgreetings.com/valentine-love
President Obama Supports Marriage Education
“…Finally, preliminary research shows that marriage education workshops can make a real difference in helping married couples stay together and in encouraging unmarried couples who are living together to form a more lasting bond. Expanding access to such services to low income couples, perhaps in concert with job training and placement, medical coverage, and other services already available, should be something everybody can agree on…” Barack Obama, Audacity of Hope, 2006 p. 334
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage/index.html
SAVE THE DATE!!
Nueces County Community Action Agency would like
to strengthen and increase the network of Family Wellness trainers in the Coastal Bend region. Therefore, NCCAA is hosting a Family Wellness marriage curriculum training event in Corpus Christi. The training will be held on February 25th, 26th and 27th at the Education Service Center, 209 North Water St. in Corpus Christi. This is a free training for anyone that would like to provide this instruction in their community. Seating is limited. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to David Wisnoski at (361) 654-7913.
Nueces County Community Action Agency 361-883-7201 101 South Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, Texas 78405 Contact Information: Isabel Valle-Carpenter 361-654-7927 ivalle-carpenter@nccaatx.org Jennifer I. Gonzales 361-654-7933 jigonzalez@nccaa.tx.org Sandi Barnett 361-654-7953 sbarnett@nccaatx.org Fax: 361-883-9173 Healthy Marriage Initiative www.cbhmi.org
(HMDP) Healthy Marriage Development Program Workshops
Registration required prior to workshop in order to attend. Childcare provided for children ages 3 and up. Meals and transportation provided. Contact Lizette Aragon for more information at 361-654-7930. Singles workshop begin Monday February 16, 2009 Couples workshop begin Friday February 29, 2009
(RI) Twogether in Texas Pre-Marital Program Workshops
February 7, 2009 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Contact: Estella Rocha Phone: (361) 933-1136 614 Horne Rd. Corpus Christi, TX 78405 February 7 & 8, 2009 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. & 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Contact: Family Counseling Phone: (361) 334-1272 3833 S. Staples Suite S203 Corpus Christi, TX 78411 February 9 & 10, 2009 6 p.m. -10 p.m. Contact: Ben Figuerora Phone: (361) 522-2666 915 S. 9th St. Kingsville, TX 78363 February 28, 2009 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Contact: Lupe Valdez Phone: (361) 334-4046 2637 Terrace St. Corpus Christi, TX 78412
CHMI Healthy Marriage Workshops
For more information, call Jennifer Gonzales at 361-654-7933
(Youth sessions are for ages 12-17)
Monday & Tuesday Feb. 2 & 3, 2009 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Primera Iglesia Bautista 4122 Weber Rd. Corpus Christi, Texas Saturday February 7, 2009 9:30 a.m.– 5:30 p.m. Fam. Enrich. & Play Therapy 4122 Weber Rd. Corpus Christi, Texas (Youth session)
Saturday February 7, 2009 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. 223 Kaffer St. Beeville, Texas (Adult and Youth session) Monday—Wednesday February 9-11, 2009 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Institute of Rural Development 915 South 9th Street Kingsville, Texas
Saturday February 21, 2009 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Covenant Baptist Church 7001 Williams Drive Corpus Christi, Texas Saturday February 21, 2009 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 614 Horne Rd The Molina Center Corpus Christi, Texas