ROANOKE RAPIDS — Helping youngsters make healthy and responsible life decisions is the goal of the Healthy Marriage Matters Project.

Jacqueline Hough | The Daily Herald The Healthy Marriage Matters Project is designed to offer positive messages for youth about marriage and its benefits to themselves, their children and the community. To help make area individuals and organizations more aware of the project, an open house will be held in the Roanoke Rapids office, 24 E. 10th Street on August 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. Staff, from left to right, is Linda M. Jones, project director, Amanda M. Thomas, administrative assistant and Regina Brooks, youth and community coordinator. Advertisement

Project director Linda M. Jones said it offers a high school “relationship skills” curriculum tailored to developing positive relationship and a media campaign on the benefits of marriage to children and the community.

Administrative assistant Amanda M. Thomas said domestic violence prevention is a major activity.

“Teens selected for the project receive additional education in dating and domestic violence awareness and prevention,” she said.

HMMP is part of a five-year initiative that serves 2,000 teens in Halifax, Northampton, Edgecombe, Vance, Nash and Warren counties. The Healthy Marriage Demonstration Program is a grant awarded to CJH Educational Grant Services Inc. in Raleigh by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Family Assistance.

CJH is a member of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Tennessee Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.

Youth and Community Coordinator Regina Brooks stressed the correlation between a healthy relationship and academics.

“If they develop healthy relationship skills, it will transfer into academics and be a continuous life-long learning skills for them,” Brooks said.

Jones said several community partners offer services to youth, such as Halifax County Schools, Weldon City Schools, Together Transforming Lives Inc. in Enfield Cooperative Extension — Warren County Center, Nash/Edgecombe Boys and Girls Clubs and Divine Faith Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.

Other partnering agencies assist the North Carolina Community Action Association, African-American Marriage and Family Institute and Halifax Organizes for Marriage Education Inc.

“This office oversees the implementation of the grant by the community partners and assist them in their efforts,” Jones said. “They are a vital part of assisting us in our endeavor.”

The staff brings a lot of experience to HMMP. A native of Halifax County, Jones has previous experience as a principal and assistant principal along with working with at-risk teens in the National Guard Youth Challenge Academy in Washington, D.C.

Thomas is also a Halifax County native with 19 years of administrative and financial experience through the federal government. She has spent numerous volunteer hours as a parent-teacher with Prince George’s County Schools in Maryland and Guilford and Halifax County Schools by providing counseling and tutorial assistance for students.

Brooks, a native of Martin County, has more than 25 years of experience in education. She is president of the Tri-City Chapter of CHUMS and serves on various community and church organizations.

Billboards are up in Northampton, Halifax and Warren counties with the newest one located on I-95 giving facts related to healthy marriage about teens and families.

To help make area individuals and organizations more aware of the project, an open house will be held in the Roanoke Rapids office, 24 E. 10th Street on Aug. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m.

“We want to be more visible in the community,” Jones said. “This is a chance for people to see where we are and what we do.”

“Ultimately, we are striving for the same goal of educating our students holistically,” Brooks added.

For more information call 252-533-1868 or visit www.healthymarriagematters.com.