| Chapter Newsletter | January 17 , 2006 |
Happy
2006! United Families Arizona would like to wish each of you a
very successful and prosperous New Year. Hopefully your New Year’s
resolutions are getting an established place in your routines and not
sitting on the bedroom dresser or desk gathering dust. Over the years
I have collected the following list of goals to consider:
2006 is a very important year for Arizona. We have an opportunity to make a huge difference for the future of families. I hope you have included in your personal goals a resolve to be involved in passing the Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment. By defining marriage in our State Constitution as the union of one man and one woman, we will be protecting what every stable society needs—Men and women working together to create the next generation of responsible adults. (Click here to get involved.)
The turn of the New Year also reminds us that our United Families Arizona membership renewal is due. Never has your membership in this organization been more important for you or for the organization. Joining UFA assures you a monthly chapter newsletter, a UFI quarterly newsletter with national and international news, and pertinent e-alerts informing you of important legislative issues that need immediate attention.
Your membership funds are carefully and gratefully used to defray the costs of our PMA campaign, and production of the materials and literature necessary to keep our citizens informed about the family issues that affect our state. By contributing $25 a year you can help us create a safe future for our families right here in Arizona. Click here to join our Arizona chapter UFA or renew your membership. (Your $25 contribution gives you dual membership in both United Families International and United Families Arizona.)
Once again, thank you so much for your continued support of the family. May the year 2006 be full of family success!
Warm regards,
Carol Soelberg
Happy New Year! And yes it is good to settle down after the rush of the holidays and begin anew. At the start of this new year, we are at a crucial time in our work on the Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment. It is the beginning of the election cycle and a very important time to rededicate ourselves to this work. All of us are trying to catch up financially from our generous giving during the holidays, but, United Families Arizona is in urgent need of your contributions to continue our efforts in protecting families and traditional marriage.
The $15, $25, and $50 dollar contributions are needed as much as large corporate dollars. Please examine your budget and see if you can make the sacrifice once again in support of this cause. The months in this campaign will go by quickly, and your support is extremely important in keeping the momentum going to guarantee our success. It is difficult for us to describe our urgency, but this campaign is at risk. Please help us any way you can. Thank you for caring.
Sincerely,
Nancy Salmon
Community Outreach Director
nsalmon@UnitedFamilies.org
The
2006 Legislative Session began on Monday, January 9th when the
Governor gave her "State of the State" address. The speech was
replete
with new policy initiatives but unfortunately silent on pro-family issues.
While the Governors speech ignored the vital needs of Arizona families,
the
pro-family movement is speaking up as loud as ever. Already two important
bills relating to abortion are being formulated. One bill would strengthen
Arizona's parental consent law by requiring the notarized signature of
the parent before a minor can receive an abortion.
The second law clarifies existing law to prohibit any government or public entity from allowing insurance benefits to cover abortion.
No doubt these two common sense laws will meet with strong opposition. Watch this space for future updates on how you can help the pro-family agenda.
Kirk Adams
The
Prescott UFI Chapter has been busy this past year, accomplishing great
things. Carol Mangum, President of the Prescott Chapter, says they have
about 50 members who have been dedicated to defending marriage and families.
"We have been focusing primarily on the Protect Marriage Amendment
these past several months." says Mangum. They have collected thousands
of signatures for the petitions by setting up a booth at the Yavapai County
Fair, going door-to-door and circulating the petitions around the Prescott
area. Their UFI Protect Marriage Amendment Booth won the Grand Prize at
the County Fair for the best Community Booth. The booths were judged on
the quality of the display and how people were treated when they came
to the booth.
It was a great accomplishment to win first place in the Community Booth
category and they collected thousands of signatures at the same time plus
they informed people about the Marriage Amendment and United Families.
The Prescott Chapter has also been involved in the 4th of July and Christmas
Parades in their community.
This January and February they are focusing on meeting with various civic
organizations to set up and hold cottage meetings to inform people about
the Marriage Amendment. They have also done a lot of Humanitarian Work
for their community. They held a drive to collect supplies and money to
help fill the shelves of a local shelter, Birthline, for young girls who
are pregnant and need diapers and baby items for their new infants. People
donated supplies in boxes at local grocery stores and many donated funds
so that items, like cribs, could be purchased for babies. They are also
planning a couple of fundraisers this year to help with more Humanitarian
Aid.
The Prescott Chapter also sponsored an informative General Meeting that
the whole community was invited to. They invited their senator, Ken Bennett,
to speak. He educated the group on various propositions and also spoke
about the Marriage Amendment. "It was very informative and we had
a nice size group attend," said Carol Mangum. They are continuing
their push for more signatures on the Marriage Amendment petitions and
are also going to have a float in two upcoming parades.
The PMA coalition has planned a "Marriage Sunday" for Feb. 12, 2006. It is a time to pray for and learn about strengthening marriages through out the state. We encourage all religious congregations who wish to participate to do so. It is also a great time for signing petitions!
Do you see a quaint little home with sparkling windows, perfectly trimmed
rose bushes and a white picket fence? Maybe. Want to know what we see?
Your house (or your neighbor’s home, community center, local library
or other location)! Cottage Meetings are essential to passing the Protect
Marriage Arizona Amendment. We need to educate and unite those individuals
who desire to protect marriage and the family. You know people who share
the same values and commitment that you do and cottage meetings bring
the information to you! The presentation “Marriage and the Family
Under Siege” is given by trained individuals who are passionate
about saving Arizona families. Would you like to attend a cottage
meeting? Go to our website at www.unitedfamiliesarizona.org.
Click on “Calendar” and find the cottage meeting date that
works well for you. Would you like to host a cottage meeting?
Our website has a link to get you in contact with us. Simply look under
“Ways You Can Help” on the United Families Arizona home page.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
United Families Arizona
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