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DADS and MOMS of Michigan eNewsletter
September 2006

This is a brief report of some of the many activities going on around the state and country. There is a lot more to report so check the Dads and Moms of Michigan web site and the Message Forum for the latest news. Dads and Moms of Michigan will strengthen its focus on education and expand the programs around the state. For information call 248-559-DADS (3237)

Sign up for our eNewsletter at www.dadsofmichigan.org

 

Restore the American Family
Equal Parents Week Rally, Wednesday September 27th, 2006
"The Best Parent is Both Parents"
Noon - 2:00 pm
East Side Capital, Lansing, Michigan

PLEASE CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR AND ASK THEM TO ATTEND. WE WILL ALSO MEET AT THE CAPITAL AT 9:00 AM IN FRONT OF THE CAPITAL TO THEN VISIT ALL OF OUR LEGISLATIVE OFFICES.

Detailed driving maps to the State Capital from all directions are available at this web page: http://michigan.gov/documents/gethere_14067_7.PDF

DADS OF MICHIGAN will observe Equal Parents Week (EPW), September 24 – September 30, 2006. Equal Parents Week brings attention to the need for both parents to share their parental rights and responsibilities equally, the right of children to be raised and nurtured by both parents, and the right of families to exist and function as a family. These are civil and human rights inherent and inalienable to all families. Our recent national tragedies further highlight the importance of parents and family. Public and home candlelight vigils observing EPW and the victims of terrorism will also take place on September 27 across the nation and world. We have numerous national speakers and media coming in for this event.

Equal Parents Week 2006 Agenda (Tentative)

EPW Speaker Invite

Equal Parents Week 2006 Press Release

NEWS RELEASE

PROCLAMATION

VIEW FLYER

Please join us in Lansing at the Capitol East site on Wednesday September 27 between noon and 2:00 pm for the Equal Parents Rally and show your support for HB5267. We are going to bring one thousand parents and advocates to the Michigan State Capitol at noon on Wednesday September 27th as a voice of solidarity of our will to be an equal parent to our children. Fliers and printing instructions are available here:

http://www.dadspace.org/files/EqualParentsWeek06Flier.pdf
http://www.dadspace.org/files/PrintingInstructions.pdf

We are sponsoring a bus in Metro Detroit to the Equal Parenting Rally on September 27th. We have organized 2 pickup points.  The schedule is as follows:

8:50 am	St. Marys of the Hills Church     2675 John R Road  (1/4 mile North of Auburn and John R, on the East side of John R) Rochester Hills    (Park in the lot closest to John R). The bus will leave for Novi promptly at 9:00 am.

9:40 am	Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi Park at Post 20 in the Mall Parking Lot.  (There is only one Post 20!) The bus will leave for the Capitol promptly at 9:50 am.

11:00 am	Arrive at the East Lawn of the Capitol

2:30 pm	Bus leaves for Metro area.

The cost is $15.00 per person.  Please signup early so we know which size of bus we need.

You can reserve your spot by phoning Jay Fedewa at 248-917-5142 or e-mailing him at jafedewa@frcmi.org and then sending your bus money to him at:  (Make checks payable to The Family Rights Coalition.)

 

Dads and Moms University Presents
Dads and Moms of Michigan University (DMU) is growing and the team has assembled a great expansion plan. We are expanding resources for Dads, Moms, Stepparents, and Grandparents, and in the Moms of Michigan and Parenting forums to provide more resources for both Parents. We are launching NEW parent education programs this month on Family Court Basics, Parenting Plans, and the Child Support Calculator.

Oakland County DADS OF MICHIGAN FAMILY FORUM
1st Tuesdays, October 3rd,, at 7:00 PM, Birmingham Community Center
Guest Speaker: Wayne Family Court Judge Charlene Elder
BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY HOUSE, 380 S BATES, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009

For other locations and information, GO: http://www.dadsofmichigan.org/events.html

 

The Children's Rights Council 20th Anniversary Conference
"Shared Parenting in the 21st Century" http://www.crckids.org/news-events.htm

November 3rd - 5th, 2006
at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, Arlington, Virginia
(just across the Potomac from, & a quick "T" ride into Washington, D.C.)

High-Octane Topics will include Defining the Best Interests of the Child, Paternity Establishment, Parental Alienation of Children, The Rights of Children in Same Sex Marriages

Also, How Judges Decide Custody Cases, Community Responses to Domestic and Family Violence, Media Misperceptions of the Family, Effects of PAS as evidenced by Adult Children of Divorce, Essential Elements to Winning Joint Custody, How to Mediate Successfully, Child Access Centers: Problems and Solutions, and much more

Speakers will include:

• syndicated columnists "Ask Amy" Dickinson, Glenn Sachs, Cathy Young, Kathleen Parker
• Reading-Aloud-to-Children Advocate Wally "Famous" Amos
• Congressmembers Albert R. Wynn (D-MD) and Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD)
• Deputy U.S. Surgeon General Admiral Kenneth P. Moritsugu
• Author Elizabeth Marquardt ("Between Two Worlds")
• Marriage Savers co-founder Mike McManus
• Federal Child Support Commissioner Margot Bean and former Commissioner David Gray Ross;
• Parenting Education Pioneer Jayne A. Major;
• Pamela and Bob Hoch, PAS Deprogrammers, The Rachel Foundation;
• Bob Stien, Parent Educator and PBS Film Documentary Participant
• Custody Reform Advocates Ronald K. Henry, Ned Holstein & Dan Hogan ("Fathers and Families")
• Stephen Baskerville ("American Coalition of Fathers and Children")
• CRC State Leaders Sal Frasca (NY), Myrna Murdoch (HI),Mark Roseman (CT), Rachel Forrest (NH)
• Judges Paul Panepinto (Philadelphia), Anita Josey- Herring (Washington, D.C.), Paul Garfinkel (South  Carolina), Sharon Townsend (New York) CRC Access Center Directors  Margaret Wuwert and Alfred Ellis
• Grant Writers Bob Billingham, Sr. and John Jolley (HHS)
• Family Law attorneys Nicholas Palermo (MA), Sharon Berg, John Bauserman, Jr. (VA, DC,MD) and Michael L. Oddenino (CA)
• Psychologist S. Richard Sauber (co-editor of the new "The International Handbook of Parental Alienation Syndrome"
• Family Violence Researcher, Susan Horwitz, Ph.D., University of Rochester
• Children of DivorceOther psychologists, educators, writers, child advocates
• And Much More....

 

PARENTING RESOURCES

Stay-at-Home Parents Survival Guide
Stay-at-home parenting can be stressful. Here are support groups for stay at home parents, as well as articles on special issues facing at-home parents.
http://homeparents.about.com/od/supportgroups/

Dads and Daughters
http://www.dadsanddaughters.org/index.html

Going for Her Goals
Join us for an inspiring evening with Christine Brennan, pioneering sportswriter and author as she shares stories behind her new book, Best Seat in the House: A Father, a daughter, a Journey Through Sports. The event is October 11 in St. Paul.  http://www.dadsanddaughters.org/index.html

 

STEP PARENTS

Tips for Starting Back to School
The start of the new school year can be a nerve-wracking time for our daughters and stepdaughters.  Here are 12 simple things dads and stepdads can do. http://www.dadsanddaughters.org/index.html

Stepfamily Association of America
http://www.saafamilies.org/index.htm
A national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to successful stepfamily living. Our site provides educational information and resources for anyone interested in stepfamilies and their issues. Find a group in Michigan. http://www.stepfamilies.info/programs/chapters.htm#mi

 

GRANDPARENTS

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren – this is a great site for Grandparents.
http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Grandparents.shtml

 

MILITARY ISSUES FORUM

Military parents and children – Learn about all of the services to support families in the military. http://www.emilitary.org/family.html

Marine Parents - Learn about all of the services to support Marine families.
http://www.marinemoms.us/

Military Parents Alliance (MPA)
http://www.militaryparents.org/
The Military Parents Alliance (MPA) works to publicize and legislatively address the many problems and injustices military parents face.

 

Are You at Risk of Becoming a Victim of False Allegations?
Alan Karmin of New Jersey was accused of domestic violence. But he had never assaulted his wife. What was the basis of the claim? It was alleged that Karmin telephoned his ex-wife 10-15 times a day and was late on his child support payments. But telephone records and cancelled checks easily disproved both allegations.
http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Ranking-of-States-DV-Laws.pdf

 

Dads and Moms of Michigan (www.dadsofmichigan.org) includes Dads of Michigan, Moms of Michigan, and Dads of Michigan PAC. These are volunteer responsible parenthood education organizations for fathers and mothers. They instruct on the importance of involved biological parents to the successful development of their children.  Dads of Michigan PAC is an independent volunteer political advocacy group dedicated to legislation keeping both biological parents actively engaged in the lives of their children despite divorce and custody, in most instances.  They believe men and women should be viewed equally under the law and their credo is: "fathers are responsible parents too…because the best parent is both parents."  Dads of Michigan, the Michigan affiliate of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, is also the developer of the Dads and Moms University of responsible education for teenage, divorced, and unmarried parents.  This educational program employs several features to either directly or indirectly benefit nearly 2 million men, women, and grandparents and just under one-half million children each year in Michigan.  For more information, please contact us at (248) 559-DADS (3237) or email info@dadsofmichigan.org.

Your financial assistance is vitally needed to help us meet our goals via the above projects. We ask you to please consider Dads of Michigan among your corporate and individual charitable contributions. Dads of Michigan is a volunteer, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and qualifies for tax deductible contributions. Major credit cards are also now accepted.

DADS and MOMS of Michigan Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.

"Fathers are responsible parents too…because the best parent is both parents”