Families Uniting Families

Long Beach, Calif.,--May 10, 2011 (NEWSWIRE)--Families Uniting Families will be extending an invitation to those in the community to join them in their 3rd Family Game Night event on May 19, 2011 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at their offices on the grounds of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, located at 525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA, 90813. The "Family Game Night" is an opportunity to meet the staff and participants in a safe environment. The event marks an occasion to promote "family together time" through a variety of physical games and to recruit new members into the weekly support groups. Families Uniting Families is a 501 (c) 3 charity organization committed to providing homes, care, treatment and supportive services for abused, neglected and emotionally troubled children and their families.

"We are very excited to host another game night. The last event brought out a lot of new folks which resulted in significant additions to our Men in Relationships group," said James Schrage, Executive Director/Founder of Families Uniting Families. "I continue to be amazed at how helpful these meetings are. It is just one of those things you have to experience to really grasp how valuable this program is."

To address the problem of absentee fathers, CII created Project Fatherhood SM in 1996 to re-engage low-income fathers, particularly in urban settings, in the care and upbringing of their children. Federal funding allowed Project Fatherhood SM to expand in 2006 across Los Angeles County. The Project Fatherhood SM Community Grants Program is part of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance. Back on September 21, 2010, Children’s Institute Inc. (http://www.projectfatherhood.org/) announced that Families Uniting Families (FUF) would be one of 10 recipients for a grant to initiate a father support group called Project Fatherhood SM. Since November 2010, FUF has built a loyal following of participants in their Long Beach based "Men in Relationships" support group. Studies show that children without fathers are more likely to live in poverty, use drugs, drop out of school, develop emotional and behavioral problems, and be incarcerated. The presence of participating nurturing fathers has a profound positive impact on children’s health and well-being.

"I have seen considerable improvement over the past few months in how the children relate with other kids, staff, and especially their own parents," said Eva Roman, Co Facilitator of the Children’s group. "The interactions are much more positive. What I have noticed is that the children look forward to coming. They get to spend some time with their parents and also play with other kids in a safe place. They love it! Project Fatherhood is all about the kids."

About Families Uniting Families: Families Uniting Families has been serving children in Los Angeles County and Orange County since 2004. They are known for providing excellent care and treatment to children who suffer from abuse and neglect. Families Uniting Families cultivates nurturing and knowledgeable families to protect and enhance the welfare and stability of vulnerable children and their families so that they are able to live productive and meaningful lives. For more information about Families Uniting Families, call (562) 437-4114, contact info@familiesunitingfamilies.org or visit the Families Uniting Families web site at www.familiesunitingfamilies.org.

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT:
Nancy Gonzalez
of Families Uniting Families
+1-562-437-4114
nancy@familiesunitingfamilies.org

Families Uniting Families Announces the Success of Project Fatherhood "Family Game Night"

LONG BEACH, Calif., March 30, 2011-- Families Uniting Families, a 501(c)3 charity organization committed to providing homes, care, treatment and supportive services for abused, neglected and emotionally troubled children, their families, and parenting support announced the tremendous success of their "Family Game Night" event to promote their new Project Fatherhood program. Project Fatherhood(SM) was created by Dr. Hershel Swinger of Children's Institute Inc., to address the problem of absentee fathers back in 1996. It was specifically aimed to re-engage low-income fathers in urban settings to provide a form of support to dads in the care and upbringing of their children. Studies show that children without fathers are more likely to live in poverty, use drugs, drop out of school, develop emotional and behavioral problems, and be incarcerated. Nurturing fathers have a profoundly positive impact the health and well-being of their children.

"It seems that the word has really gotten out about our new program, said Rosalva Gutierrez, Co-Facilitator of the Significant Others group. "So many new faces, everyone enjoyed the games and the excitement. The atmosphere was invigorating."

Families Uniting Families invited the community for an evening of interactive family-style games on Thursday, March 24, 2011. The event was well received and saw over 100 attendees from the Long Beach and Los Angeles County area.

The "Family Game Night" was an opportunity for new participants to meet the staff in a low-key and fun-filled atmosphere. It was also an opportunity to learn more about the agency and its weekly fatherhood support groups, and to play with their children in a safe environment.

"It was great to see so many families, especially fathers playing and enjoying the games together with their kids," said Wesley Norvell, Project Fatherhood staff. "It was such a positive environment. So many people were able to take advantage of the evening and this amazing community resource."

The agency wishes to express its gratitude to everyone who participated and helped to make it such a special evening. In addition, we would like to thank our social work interns from California State University, Long Beach-School of Social Work, Wonderland Treats, Von's Pavilions, and all who went the extra mile.

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT:
Nancy Gonzalez
of Families Uniting Families
+1-562-437-4114
nancy@familiesunitingfamilies.org

Families Uniting Families Launches Project Fatherhood with "Family Game Night"

LONG BEACH, Calif., March 23, 2011 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Families Uniting Families will be extending an invitation to those in the community to join in a "Family Game Night" on March 24, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at their offices in St. Luke's Episcopal Church, located at 525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA, 90813. The "Family Game Night" is an opportunity to meet the staff and participants in a safe environment where the group will promote "family together time" through a variety of physical games and play to recruit new members into the weekly support groups. Families Uniting Families is a 501(c)3 charity organization committed to providing homes, care, treatment and supportive services for abused, neglected and emotionally troubled children and their families.

"Families Uniting Families is pleased to offer this innovative program to meet the needs of fathers, their children, and their families," said James Schrage, Executive Director/Founder of Families Uniting Families. "By offering this opportunity to the community, we are able to take one more step by offering a proven model in supporting children's well being that is based on promoting a father's meaningful involvement in their children's lives and it will also allow FUF to bolster our positive presence in the community. This effort furthers our mission, supports our current programs, and brings a much needed resource to the community. As a father, I know from a personal standpoint that we need as much support as we can get. There are many challenges out there. This is a safe place to land and we are here every week."

To address the problem of absentee fathers, CII created Project Fatherhood(SM) in 1996 to re-engage low-income fathers, particularly in urban settings, in the care and upbringing of their children. Federal funding allowed Project Fatherhood(SM) to expand in 2006 across Los Angeles County. The Project Fatherhood(SM) Community Grants Program is part of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance.

Back on September 21, 2010, Children's Institute Inc. (http://www.projectfatherhood.org/) announced that Families Uniting Families (FUF) would be one of 10 recipients for a grant to initiate a father support group called Project Fatherhood(SM). Since November 2010, FUF has been actively building their Long Beach based "Men in Relationships" support group. Studies show that children without fathers are more likely to live in poverty, use drugs, drop out of school, develop emotional and behavioral problems, and be incarcerated. The presence of participating nurturing fathers has a profound positive impact on childrens' health and well-being.

"Project Fatherhood creates community and connections among fathers and within families," said Dr. Barbara Martinez, Co Facilitator of the Significant Others group, "It is exactly this type of program and exactly this kind of atmosphere we look to promote at FUF, and this program will go a long way in providing help to our fathers and their families."

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT:
Nancy Gonzalez
of Families Uniting Families
+1-562-437-4114
nancy@familiesunitingfamilies.org

Supporters of Families Uniting Families are using GoodSearch and GoodShop, raising money with every search of the Internet and every purchase on-line!

Long Beach, CA June 2010 -- What if even a fraction of the billions of dollars generated by search engine advertisers and online shopping was directed towards supporting Families Uniting Families.

That is the concept behind GoodSearch.com a new search engine powered by Yahoo! GoodSearch donates 50% of its revenue, approximately a penny per search, to the charities designated by its users. You use it exactly as you would any other search engine and the pennies add up quickly – just 500 people searching four times a day will earn around $7,300 in a year. It doesn’t cost the users a thing!

Similarly with GoodShop.com, consumers are helping their favorite causes by shopping at hundreds of well known retailers including Amazon, Target, Apple, Macy’s, Best Buy, Orbitz, Staples and others. The shopping experience and the prices are exactly the same as going to the retailer directly, but by going through GoodShop, up to 30% of the purchase price is donated the user’s favorite cause!

Families Uniting Families has been registered with the sites since 2007, giving its supporters a chance to raise money for the cause every time they search the Internet or shop online. The goal is to earn $1000 through the site this year which will be used to pay for youth—who are in protective care due to child abuse—participate in extra curricular activities to ensure their well being while away from their biological families

More than 88,000 nonprofits and schools are now registered with GoodSearch and GoodShop and more than 100 organizations are registering daily. GoodSearch has quickly spread via word-of-mouth and the blogger community. Examples of other organizations listed on the site include: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation which has earned more than $13,000; the ASPCA which has raised more than $32,000; and The Bubel/Aiken Foundation which supports children with disabilities and has earned more than $14,000.

Using GoodSearch is simple. Because the site is powered by Yahoo, users are assured of high quality results - but each time you search, money is generated by the advertisers for your favorite charity or school.

"Every penny counts", says James Schrage, Executive Director of Families Uniting Families. "While doing a search or shopping online why not raise money for our cause? There is absolutely no reason not to use GoodSearch and GoodShop - it's so easy"

"We know there are a lot of people who want to do 'good' but may not have the time or the money to help out.” said Ken Ramberg, Co-Founder of GoodSearch and former President of MonsterTRAK, the largest online career site for college students (now a division of Monster.com). "GoodSearch and GoodShop make it as easy as possible. We've taken something people do every day -- searching the Internet and shopping online -- and have turned it into doing good."

Families Uniting Families

Press Releases