UFI Marks 30 Years of Defending Marriage and Family
March 5, 2008
Dear Friend of the Family,
United Families International has reached a most noteworthy milestone in its defense of marriage and family – our 30-year anniversary. With a legacy that goes back to 1978, we have developed a long run of major contributions to the pro-family movement. For particular details, see the UFI Timeline at right.
Just as the world has changed in many ways over the past three decades, many people have carried the UFI torch and passed it on to others to carry on the legacy. United Families International has called numerous places home – Utah, Washington, Geneva, Africa and more recently, Arizona. Many talented and devoted people have worked tirelessly to make UFI a leading international pro-family organization.
In recognition of this 30-year anniversary, we will celebrate a Founders Dinner in Utah with those who were there in the early days. This fall, we will hold a celebratory dinner in Arizona, along with a family run/walk. There will be other anniversary events as well.
Our publications this year will tell the story of how our organization began, why it began and why it continues to this day. This is a time of reflection to look back at how far we have come, and it is a time of renewed dedication to preserve a future for the family through the use of social science arguments, personal and organizational commitment.
Throughout the last 30 years, powerful movements and organizations have tried to re-make the family into something that will have dire ramifications for all we hold dear: the very definition of marriage, respect for humanity’s most defenseless, the roles of fathers and mothers, the stability of communities.
We have boldly assumed a place in the public square, using our opportunities to declare that these movements take society in the wrong direction, and we herald the science that points out the unmatched values of homes headed by moms and dads who are dedicated to raising healthy families.
In the weeks and months to come, we will share with you the story of United Families International. It’s a story of fathers and mothers working in the halls of the United Nations to defend families and alerting others to the perils facing the traditional family. It’s a story of educating the world that what the family offers to society cannot be equaled.
We are going to tell you how Susan Roylance founded this organization, how it eventually grew to be one of the nation’s fastest-growing pro-family movements and the courageous lengths that many have gone to in speaking up for the families of the world.
From the start, the founders, staff members and volunteers have told the same story: society does not need to tear down families or remove parents from the role of raising children.
Along the way, UFI has started wonderful and successful programs like Stay Alive and Defend Marriage. Our people have worked alongside coalition allies to empower UN delegates, national presidents and lawmakers to defend family and life, earning their respect along the way.
The support for UFI through the years has been outstanding. We humbly appreciate the mandate that our supporters have given us to speak on behalf of the family.
Watch for our new issue of The Family Times newsletter and check our website for news and coverage of UFI’s anniversary celebration. If you are not on the subscription list for The Family Times, please make a contribution and this semi-monthly publication will be mailed to you.
Warmly,
Carol Soelberg,
President United Families International