About Us

What is the market value of a healthy family?

Anthem Strong Families is a non-profit organization that is committed to providing a cost-effective approach to equipping family members with the ability to form and sustain healthy, vibrant and long-lasting relationships. Anthem’s core philosophy reflects the realization that, while important, the bedrock of a community is not government, better police and fire service, or even active beautiful churches. Instead, it is the collection of the individual family units who are the life-blood of our community.  When we have the ability to nurture, relate positively, resolve differences, and provide healthy home environments, we are happier, healthier individuals, better marriage partners, more effective parents, and more productive employees.  When families thrive, our community thrives.

History

In 2004, Anthem Strong Families,was founded by community and faith-based leaders who were concerned about the staggering cost of broken families in both heartache and dollars to our community and the enormous impact that this can have on education, crime, unwed births, poverty, health and almost every other social issue.  They committed themselves to improving the lives of children and families.   Since then Anthem has served over 20,000 families through a variety of innovative relationship strengthening programs.  Anthem often joins forces with local community organizations, businesses, and faith based groups to strengthen the effectiveness of each organization’s mission. On November 5, 2007, City of Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert honored Anthem in a public ceremony with a Proclamation in which he designated Dallas Family Strengthening Week, in honor of the work that Anthem Strong Families is doing for the families in our community.

With the committed belief that healthy happy famillies cannot happen until domestic violence is absent from our homes and people are safe, Anthem Strong Families develops protocol and educates partner organizations and workshop participants on the importance of identifying, reporting and referring victims of all forms of violence, such as domestic and dating violence and elder abuse. In the Spring of 2007, the Anthem united their efforts with the Texas Council on Domestic Violence in an effort to educate legislators on the need for innovative legislation.

Anthem’s Strong Fathers Council works to help dads know that they do count in a unique way in the lives of their children. The research that links healthy individuals and the fathers reveals astonishing significance. Healthy families exist when fathers are involved and active in the lives of their children, and the Strong Fathers program consists of men who are committed to encouraging and equipping area dads on the importance and how-to’s of creating healthy, intimate relationships with their children.

The Dallas Hispanic/Latino population is now estimated over 40% and rapidly growing.  Anthem Strong Families  is committed to strengthening Dallas area Hispanic/Latino families  through culturally-sensitive  workshops conducted in Spanish. Hispanic/Latino radio and television help inform the community of Anthem events such as Expos, Health Fairs and Hispanic Marriage Day while local Spanish-speaking churches, clinics and organizations eagerly offer the workshops to their specific community.

In March 2008, Anthem Strong Families was selected as the 3East Regional Intermediary for the state-wide TwoGether in Texas pre-marital initiative. Provided by Texas House Bill 2685, effective September 1, 2008, this program encourages pre-marital education workshops across the state. Couples that complete a qualifying 8-hour relationship skills course receive a waiver of the $60 marriage license fee and the 72-hour waiting period. Through this program, Anthem Strong Families partners with various faith-based organizations and mental health professionals as Affiliate – Service Providers to offer pre-marital workshops to couples.  These classes are free or low-cost to engaged couples.