How To Go
What: Marriage Resource Center's 10th anniversary celebration
When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Thursday
Where: Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center, Springfield
Info: Admission is free. Register at mrcmv.org by today. For more information, call 937-324-3604.
A local ministry that has had a positive impact on thousands of relationships and helped lower divorce rates in Clark and Greene counties is celebrating 10 years of existence.
The Marriage Resource Center of Miami Valley was founded in 2004 in Springfield in response to the high divorce rate in Clark County. Since the center was founded, over 18,000 people have attended or completed a class or program offered by the center.
In the past 10 years, Clark County has seen its divorce rate decrease by 37.5 percent. The divorce rate has decreased by 35.1 percent in Greene County, where MRCMV has had in Xenia staff since 2006 and an office since 2010.
“We can’t take credit for all of those marriages saved, but we can celebrate it,” Lavern Nissley, executive director and founder of the center, said. “We have touched a lot of people, not everyone, but through helping them, we have also helped others.”
These numbers are only one side of the work they have done, said Nissley.
“You can look at the numbers and you can look at the stories,” he said. “Many people we see would be divorced if not for the resources, classes and mentorship they received.”
Scott Griffith, president of Lee’s Chicken and the Western Clark County Business Coalition, and his wife, Kim, are major financial supporters of the MRCMV.
“The Center is surely one part of all the good things happening in Clark County,” said Griffith. “(The Nissleys) are true champions in the cause for healthy marriages and relationships. They are having an impact and shining a spotlight on healthy marriages and relationships. It’s what they do best.”
Has their investment been worth it?
“It’s definitely worth it, not only from a public standpoint, but from a personal one as well,” said Griffith. “It’s been a positive investment.”
Chris and Amy Pruett turned to the MRCMV when they were having problems in their marriage in 2011. They attended counseling sessions and completed the Real Intimacy and Growth Skills, or RINGS, class. These resources brought them closer and helped them strengthen the love in their relationship.
“The Marriage Resource Center gave us a platform to work out our relationship in a healthy, effective and enriching way,” Chris Pruett said. “It gave us tools, insight and perspective that allowed us to see more clearly when we didn’t know how to before.”
The Pruetts are just one of the more than 24,000 cases MRCMV has handled since its inception. Of those cases, 70 percent of the participants report they’d recommend the program they participated in. And 72 percent or more of them report improvement in areas such as commitment, attitudes, communication and conflict resolution.
The positive effect has moved beyond just the center, Nissley said. It has fostered a vast network of resources and programs throughout the community.
On Sept. 18, the center will hold a program to celebrate the past decade of work and share the plans for the future. The event is free and open to the public.
“It’s tremendously fulfilling to see how we are having an impact and making a difference,” Nissley said. “We know relationships are not easy, but we’re giving hope to see positive transformations.”
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