Agencies and Organizations are the Arms, Legs,
Fingers and Toes of FAR

It is through existing agencies and the populations YOU serve that Dallas and Fort Worth communities will reach enough families to significantly curb the widespread issues of family dissolution. As an umbrella organization to serve agencies and organizations, FAR seeks to provide trainings and certifications to agency staff and volunteers to enable your agency or organization to include relationship skills programs in the many valuable services you already provide. FAR knows that almost all agencies are stretched to their maximum and fighting funding declines that add more work and stress to existing staff. It is our hope at FAR to assist you in any way we can so that you can help individuals and families learn valuable skills that enable them to create and maintain successful, healthy SAFE relationships for themselves and for their children.

How we may be of service to your organization:

• Our service to you can range from providing trainings to certify you in a variety of relationship skills programs from communication and conflict resolution to money differences and choosing partners wisely.

• Our service to you can also involve a collaboration with community service organizaitons to provide you with volunteers who are trained and certified to teach relationship skills programs therefore alleviating the stress on your existing staff.

• Our service to you can be to provide think tanks and collaborative efforts in a united -broad based-community effort. This may allow our community to apply for federal funds that are more likely to be awarded to broad-based initiatives for strong families, such as those funding streams currently in congress as part of the welfare reform component for creating healthy marriages.

Applying for funds as a broad-based community initiative:

You may know that the welfare reform legislation is "in process" and due to pass in the next few months. FAR, as an umbrella organization, serves as the hub of a Texas Healthy Marriage Initiative. The Department of Health and Human Services makes it clear that upcoming federal funding for "Healthy Marriages" will be awarded only to those communities who demonstrate a broad base of community services through a variety of agencies. FAR seeks to unite collaborative partners who will deliver services of relationship education and skills to the populations those agencies already serve. As Texas approaches the time when RFP's will be released, it is important to identify service providers of relationship education. Your organization could be strategic to provide such services (and FAR hopes to cover the entire metroplex with educational seminars). When FAR applies for funding it will be with the collaboration of partner agencies and also faith-based organizations who will ultimately provide those services. Therefore FAR and partner organizations will need to create the request for funding to include funding for the agencies delivering services. FAR hopes that if you have an organization that would qualify as a service provider for relationships skills programs, to adults or youth, that you contact FAR and get "on board" as a collaborative partner organization NOW.

Do not fear!

Please note that we are not an organization that promotes members remaining in abusive relationships. We work to achieve the opposite effect, that is to assist people in knowing what healthy relationships are and how to create and maintain them, which includes learning to choose wisely the people with whom they share their and their childrens' lives. FAR remains steadfast in the commitment that family members' safety comes first above all else. FAR welcomes and appreciates partnerships with agencies who serve victims of abuse (and agencies promoting abuse prevention) and will continue to work to make sure that trainings FAR sponsors promote safety and necessary steps to become safe if  individuals or families are in danger. FAR welcomes your expertise in creating relationship literacy that includes abuse prevention, recognition and action for protection.

State and Local Agencies

As an initiative to strengthen families' relationships and promote emotional literacy and lasting healthy connections, FAR will work to collaborate with state agencies who provide services to families and also with local independent agencies and organizations. FAR can provide services throughout the state as needed to train personnel within state agencies.

Contact FAR for information regarding how FAR can be of service to your agency and your clients. If you would like to begin the process to become certified to lead relationship skills programs and do not want to wait for upcoming relationship skills trainings, call for more information on scheduling trainings specifically for your organization. FAR looks forward to working with and for   you.

***Great News: The national SMART MARRIAGES conference is in Dallas, Texas July 8-11, 2004!
Visit: www.smartmarriages.com for more information