February is Relationship Month

When marriage works, it makes people happier, live longer, and build more economic security. Children with married parents perform better in school. Click here for new research on “Why Marriage Matters: Thirty Conclusions from Social Science.”

This year, February 7^th to 14^th marks National Marriage Week, USA. This is a collaborative effort to strengthen individual marriages, reduce the divorce rate, and build a stronger marriage culture, which in turn helps curtail poverty and benefits children. http://www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org/

Northwest Family Services received a three-year grant from the Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance supporting healthy marriages and relationships. The focus of the grant is to improve family stability and child well-being. Through this project NWFS will offer healthy relationship, parenting, and money management classes as well as work with individuals on job readiness and placement services. This grant allows NWFS to provide skills and resources for almost 20,000 people over this 3-year project.

“A strong and stable family is the greatest advantage any child can have,” said George Sheldon, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families. “These grants support programs that promote responsible parenting, encourage healthy relationships and marriage, and help families move toward self-sufficiency and economic stability.” To learn more about these programs and services check out www.nwfs.org or www.lastingrelationships.org.

February is Dating Violence Prevention month.

Sadly, not all relationships are positive. One in 5 women and nearly 1 in 7 men who ever experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, first experienced some form of intimate partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age. Let’s make this February a time to end that cycle of abuse.

Source: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

If you know of a teen or parent that could benefit from speaking to a carrying, well-trained peer advocate, please connect them with the National Dating Abuse Helpline, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-866-331-9474 (TTY: 1-866-331-8453) or by texting “loveis” to 77054, or through live chat at loveisrespect.org.

Oregon Health Authority’s Office of “Healthy Kids” says:

This week’s Partner Spotlight shines on one of our Healthy Kids Grantees who has been around since the beginning of Healthy Kids – Northwest Family Services (NWFS).

They have consistently improved their numbers and expanded their outreach each year. During their first year, they were able to help with 38 applications. Then in their second year, the number of applications assisted with jumped to 270. To date, NWFS has helped with over 519 Healthy Kids applications! It seems like every weekend they are attending a community event promoting Healthy Kids.

Through their great work, they’ve developed a number of sustainable relationships with agencies and organizations throughout Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. NWFS has forged a strong partnership with the homeless liaisons in schools throughout Clackamas County. Due to these partnerships, more and more homeless and unaccompanied youth are getting access to the services they need. NWFS has also helped over 60 children and teens with enrollment for KP-CHP, a program available to children and teens who don’t qualify for Healthy Kids because of documentation status.

One unique partnership that NWFS has succeeded with is Job Corps sites. Job Corps is a no-cost educational and vocational training program that helps young people ages 16-24 improve the quality of their lives. Many youth at these sites don’t have health insurance and many times are unaccompanied. NWFS has helped to ensure these youth have access to the services they need.

Thank you to NWFS for all of your great work!

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Stand Realty, a real estate company operating in Clark County, dedicated to doing business a little differently. Every time they make a sale, 25% of that commission is donated directly to a charity or non-profit organization in the name of their customer.  That means that if you or someone you know complete a real estate transaction with Stand Realty, you can select Northwest Family Services to receive the funds.  Considering that a typical real estate commission is around $6000, simply using their services will provide us with nearly $1500.  The brokers at Stand Realty are experienced with high character and professionalism and are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure your satisfaction. Please tell your friends and family about this new opportunity; help make a difference by calling Stand Realty at 360-891-9000 or email Gregg@standrealty.com.

By Lauren Fuller

For nearly 30 years now, Northwest Family Services has helped couples learn about the benefits of fertility regulation through natural means. Teachers certified in our method can now be found all over the country, and through our online course, we’ve been able to teach Natural Family Planning (NFP) to thousands of couples in the past few years.

NFP is an effective, scientifically based method of family planning that treats fertility as a normal, healthy process. It involves none of the side effects associated with artificial hormones, and it can be highly effective for couples who are avoiding or achieving a pregnancy.  Couples who are taught well, understand the method, are clear about their family planning intention, and follow the rules will experience a 98 to 99.9 percent effectiveness rate.

The benefits do not stop at the numbers, though.  As an NFP Provider, I have seen firsthand the enrichment that practicing NFP has brought to a marriage time and again. Here is a testimony from one learner:

 “Initially, we had no idea that NFP was so much more than an alternative to birth control.  If I had imagined my life after NFP, I would have sold myself short.  NFP has literally and completely changed my life and me as a person.  NFP has given me freedom from birth control.  Doctors told me that my menstrual issues could be solved with birth control, when in reality it just prolonged the root of problem.   NFP has strengthened my marriage by 1000%.  The friendship, love, and respect still continue to grow every day.  My husband and I have truly become best friends.”

As described above, practicing NFP can mean working on skills such as communication, self-control, patience, and responsibility. This can involve hard work at times, but hard work put into a relationship is never wasted work, and the payback can be immense. In this regard, I am proud to be a part of the work Northwest Family Services is doing to “equip people with vital skills for a lifetime.”

Friday morning, December 9, at Willamette View Manor in Milwaukie, Northwest Family Services was honored as the recipient of the 2011 North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce Christmas Giving Breakfast.  We were awarded a portion of the ticket proceeds for the event by the Chamber in total of $895, and also received a special gift of $750 from Supply Source, Inc!

Thank you Chamber Members and Supply Source!

By Celeste Calvin

A young lady was referred to the Northwest Family Services (NWFS) school mentoring program because she had 75 absences last school year. While working with this young lady I quickly learned that she and her family were facing many challenges. I began asking the questions that others were not. One of the questions I asked was, “What do you need to be successful?” She said, “Well, I asked my mom if I get good grades, can I get a bed.” In conversation with this student, I found out that she was the only member of her household who did not have a regular place to sleep.  Some nights she slept on the floor, other nights she slept on the sofa.  The student had a stepfather who went to work at 5am. When her stepfather would get up for work, her mother would make breakfast using the blender and other loud kitchen appliances.  By the time things quieted down and she made it back to sleep, it was time for her to get ready for school.  Tired and moving slowly, she would be late for the bus, causing her to have to walk to school.

 Northwest Family Services staff was able to find a local organization who donated display beds. In October 2011, we delivered a queen sized bed to the student’s home while she was at school. Once the bed was donated, NWFS contributed funds to purchase brand new bedding and pillows. While this student and her family are still being faced with challenges, the bed is one less thing she and her family have to be concerned about. The student’s attendance has gotten much better.