Strengthening Families in Southside Virginia For The Children is a the lead agency in a coalition of local organizations that has been awarded $71,150 from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) to strengthen families across the community. “Strengthening Families in Southside, Virginia” is an initiative that will provide classes for fathers, healthy marriage workshops and marriage mentoring, as well as youth activities focusing on pregnancy prevention. This award is one of seven grants from VDSS totaling $449,614. The statewide Strengthening Families Initiative focuses on reducing non-marital births, connecting and reconnecting fathers with their children, and encouraging the formation and maintenance of safe, stable, intact two-parent families. Free parenting classes for fathers will be based on the “24/7 Dad” curriculum created by the National Fatherhood Initiative in Washington, D.C.	Contact For The Children By Phone: (276) 638-1146 Office Location For The Children Professional Arts Center 15 Cleveland Ave. Suite 7 Martinsville, VA 24112 By Mail: P.O. Box 17 Martinsville, VA 24114
	Marriage Enrichment Class Schedule Session 1 Jan. 7 to Feb. 25 Session 2 March 3 to April 21 Session 3 April 28 to June 16 Session 4 June 23 to Aug. 11	H.O.O.P.S. Program FTC is launching a new youth development iniatitive in North Carolina triad area. H.O.O.P.S. an acronym for Helping Overcome Obstacles Preventing Success is a pilot program that will help young people remove barriers for participating in worthwhile programs. More info...	FTC marks 10th Anniversary It is harder to persuade young adults than teenagers not to have children out of wedlock, according to Patricia Carter and Mabel Finney. More...	Educating Young Parents For The Children offers an array of programs that help young people develop the skills necessary to become adults capable of making responsible decisions.

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