Programs

Each year we design our programming to meet the needs of the community.  We hope you’ll consider joining us throughout the year for programs you or your family find interesting.  If you’d like to see a program on a topic we haven’t addressed, please feel free to contact us with your suggestion.

Parental Suggestion Information:
Postcards-  In an effort to better support families with practical parenting ideas, the Marion Area Family Resource Center will continue to be sending monthly postcards to familes with students in grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.  Each postcard will highlight a particular asset and show how Marion's youth view that asset based on surveys given in the schools.  We hope the information you receive is helpful and valuable.  For more infomation on specific assets, please click on the Postcards link.  

Some of our ongoing programs include:

CSI – Junior high and high school students volunteer for community service projects.

Drop-in Playtime – Parents and children meet Wednesday mornings for playtime with other children, enjoying a snack, crafts and a story hour hosted by the public library.

Guiding Good Choices: Families That Care – This five-session program for parents and elementary or junior high students educates through fun activities.  Parents of 8-13 year olds are encouraged to attend, but all parents are welcome.

Helping Hands – Adult community organizations serve as mentors for elementary school classes.

Marion After-School Adventure – Marion After-School Adventure will be discontinued and will not occure in 2006-2007.  Many families indicated that students were involved in other activities, and so the program was not being utilized to its fullest potential.  Therefore we felt we could focus on time and assets into various other family activities. 

Other programs that occur throughout the year include:

Spirit Contest – Elementary school students who attend home basketball games can sign up for the spirit contest. If chosen, students compete against one another in a replay contest.

‘Identifying You’ Program – Working with the Marion Police Department, we provide finger printing and photography, so you can collect information in case your child or vulnerable adult (elderly with Alzheimer’s disease) becomes missing.

Ask the Expert – We bring in people to talk about topics that are of interest to the community. Examples include Great Beginnings - 1st Years Last Forever; Birth Options and Good Nutrition; and Body Exploration.

Community Activities – We participate in or help promote events such as the Marion Health Fair, parent-teacher conferences, Family Fright Fest and the Marion Area Ministerial Association (MAMA) House of HOPE.

Family Programs – The center offers a different program each month, such as Mother’s Day Craft; Father’s Day Craft; Cookie Extravaganza; Walk, Dance and Play Family Fitness; Movin’ Communities; and the Food Drive Scavenger Hunt.

We have also helped implement prevention curriculum in schools as well as helped organized a Neighborhood Watch Program.