***Catholic Charities, Inc. is in need of new facilitators for its Marriage for Keeps program.  Couples or individuals who are dedicated to the belief that marriage is sacred are welcome and will be compensated as teachers. The next training is February 6, 7 & 8, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Blessed Sacrament Parish, Bishop’s Hall. Training will include PREP’s Within Our Reach (WOR) curriculum taught by PREP’s Master Trainer, Dr. Jennifer Baker; www.prepinc.com. You must attend all three sessions to receive certification. There is no cost to you to attend this training. Email mduxler@CatholicCharitiesWichita.org for an application or more information.  Registration deadline is February 1.***

About Us

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Marriage for Keeps allows Catholic Charities to support services such as healthy marriage education by providing an array of services to include one-on-one couple support, marriage education and activities to strengthen family bonds. Marriage for Keeps has been designed to provide a variety of resources and skills training to married couples in an effort to help them sustain healthy marriages, raise happier children and create more stable families.

History

Catholic Charities Marriage for Keeps Program started out as a federally funded project as part of the Supporting Healthy Marriage landmark national study.  Kansas was one of eight sites nationally chosen to participate.  Nearly 800 couples in Kansas took part in the project.  The study evaluated the effects on couple relationships, ultimately improving the lives of children.

Catholic Charities or Catholic Social Services in Dodge City, Garden City, Manhattan and Salina are also participating as demonstration locations providing services to help strengthen families although they were not part of the national study.

Opportunities to Participate

Due to the success of this groundbreaking program in creating healthy marriages and improving family dynamics, Catholic Charities Marriage for Keeps has a strong desire to reach more couples in our community.  For more information, please contact Mike Duxler at (316) 264-8344 ext. 1320 or by email, mduxler@CatholicCharitiesWichita.org.

Click here for the FAQ about Marriage for Keeps.

Research has proven over and over again that there are several benefits to a healthy marriage including:

• Married people are happier than single, widowed, or cohabiting people. About 40% of married people report being very happy with their lives, whereas only 18% of divorced people, 15% of separated people, and only 22% of widowed and 22% of cohabiting people report being very happy (Waite & Gallagher, 2000).
• Married people are more successful in their careers, earn more, and have more wealth than single, divorced or cohabiting individuals (Waite & Gallagher, 2000; Antonovics & Town, 2004).

The previous information was provided by the Marriage CoMission website (www.marriagecomission.com/go/justthefacts).

additional resource: http://foryourmarriage.org/