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. “One of the goals for our particular project is to increase the capacity of families to work together. We also want to help them receive much-needed support from community agencies so they are able to solve problems and improve the wellbeing of their children,” said Patricia Carter, executive director of For the Children. Free parenting classes for fathers will be based on the “24/7 Dad” curriculum created by the National Fatherhood Initiative in Washington, D.C.	Our Programs Click the link for more information. Pregnancy Prevention Programs Baby Think It Over Healthy Marriage Banquet Healthy Marriage Luncheon Healthy Relationship Classes Educational Programs Life Skills Training Family Life Education Job Readiness Program Artistic Expressions H.O.O.P.S. H.O.O.P.S. an acronym for Helping Overcome Obstacles Preventing Success is pilot programs that will help young people remove barriers for participating in worthwhile programs.			Our Community Partners · Health Department · Social Services · Pittsylvania County Community Action · Martinsville City Schools · Henry County Public Schools · Piedmont Community Services · Citizens Against Family Violence · Black Family Preservation Group, Inc.
	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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