Family Bridges is committed to transforming
communities by empowering families.
INVESTING
in Stronger Families
A
Success Story
Patricio & Norma
OUR MISSION
Family Bridges
promotes thriving
communities by
delivering services to
strengthen family
relationships, while
embracing their cultural
and spiritual values.
Thirteen years into their marriage,
Patricio and Norma were about to call
it quits. Their relationship was plagued
by bitter fights and domestic violence.
In a last attempt at change, they
began attending a Family Bridges’
couples workshop.
Patricio was impressed with the
workshops. Everything the instructor
said applied to his life. The teachers
challenged him to change and gave
him tools for more peaceful and
productive communication.
Norma was also encouraged by the
workshops. Through the classes, she
learned to better understand men,
especially the “machismo” mindset.
She met other women with similar
struggles in their marriages, and they
were able to encourage and learn
from one another.
With all of this training and guidance,
Patricio and Norma experienced
improved communication and
restored trust. They even started
going on dates again. As their bond
with each other strengthened, Patricio
and Norma were also able to restore
their entire family. They asked their
daughters for forgiveness for their old
behavior patterns, and a new healing
work began in their family.
Now, four years later, Patricio and
Norma are being trained to work with
other couples to offer them the
healing and hope they’ve experienced
in their own marriage.
“Before, I was completely unhappy,”
Patricio says. “Now I am happy.”
Norma adds, “Before, I lived in
darkness. Now I have light and a safe
way to the future.”
THE DRAMATIC DECLINE OF MARRIAGE AND TWO-PARENT
FAMILIES
American society is built on the bedrock of healthy marriages and strong
families. It is hard to imagine the stressful life of a child struggling to get
by without the stability of married parents and a strong family support
system. Without that firm foundation, many children suffer economic
hardship, lower academic achievement, and unmet emotional needs.
Both children and adults are happier and healthier with a strong family as
their foundation. Nonetheless, only half of American adults are now
married (a dramatic drop from 72% in 1960) while 41% of babies were
born to single mothers in 2008 (up from 5% in 1960).1 And the decline is
likely to worsen in the next generation, where 39% of young adults say
that marriage is an outdated institution.2
IMPACT OF THE FAMILY STRENGTHENING PROGRAM
Family Bridges’ popular Family Strengthening Program teaches couples
(married and unmarried) the skills they need to improve their relationship
as a couple and grow closer to their children. They learn to strengthen
family ties by setting goals and having fun together. Most importantly,
Family Bridges instills in them the value of commitment. Couples learn
that staying married requires hard work in good times and bad - but it’s
worth the effort. And through the 8-hour long classes, they find
like-minded couples and mentors to support them on their journey.
Society benefits when couples decide to marry because of Family
Bridges classes and when married couples use the skills learned in class
to make it through rough times and avoid divorce.
1. The
2.
Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families, Pew Research Center, 2010
Ibid.
How Can You Help?
If you believe in the value of healthy
marriages and strong families, help
others learn how to strengthen their
marriages and families.
AVOIDING DIVORCE
If 29 married couples (out of 685) decide not to divorce as a result of Family
Bridges classes, the total lifetime savings to society is conservatively
estimated to be $6,480,000. This produces a 4-year Return on Investment
of 259% (assuming 4.2% of married couples who would have divorced
without Family Bridges classes remain married, and the cost of the class is
$600 per couple). This includes savings to taxpayers due to:
§ Lower public costs due to avoiding poverty resulting from divorce,
such as food stamps, social services, Medicaid, incarceration, and
housing subsidies: $233,831/year
§ Additional income taxes paid by their children due to higher wages
earned as a result of graduating from high school: $43,335/year
§ Decreased costs due to reduced intimate partner violence, smoking,
suicide attempts, and alcoholism: $68,023/year
§ Reduced heath care costs due to improved general health of married
couples: $24,177/year
If 29 married couples (out of 685) decide not to divorce as a result
of Family Bridges classes, the
Your $300 investment will give one
person with limited resources the
chance to join a couples class and
learn valuable skills, such as
communication, conflict resolution,
and problem-solving.
Your $600 investment will give one
couple who otherwise couldn’t
afford it the opportunity to create a
new vision for their marriage and
family life.
Your $6,000 investment will give
10 low-income couples the skills
they need to improve the lives of
their own families and their
community as well.
Your generous gift helps Family
Bridges provide these and similar
programs to a generation desperate
for hope.
total lifetime savings
to society is conservatively estimated to be $6,480,000
MORE COUPLES MARRY
If 16 couples (out of 156 unmarried couples) decide to marry as a result of
Family Bridges classes, the total lifetime savings to society is conservatively
estimated to be $3,694,889. This produces a projected Annual Return on
Investment of 63% (assuming 10% of unmarried couples decide to marry
and the cost of the class is $600 per couple). This includes savings to
taxpayers due to:
§ Avoiding lives of poverty resulting from cohabitation instead of
marriage: $57,848/year
§ Additional income taxes paid by their children who will perform better
academically and earn higher incomes: $73,445/year
§ Avoiding costs of intimate partner violence, mental illness, smoking,
suicide attempts, and alcoholism (more common among unmarried
adults): $15,797/year
§ Reduced heath care costs due to improved general health of married
couples: $5,025/year
To Donate
MAIL YOUR CHECK TO...
Family Bridges
1046 W. Pleasant St.
Oak Park, IL 60302
CONTACT...
Barbara Linek at
630.653.1717x244 or
[email protected]
GIVE ONLINE AT...
www.familybridgeschicago.org