About Us
Marriage Resource Center has two primary strategies to accomplish its goals:
- Establish a Community Marriage Policy for Frederick County in which pastors, priests and rabbis join together to strengthen marriages. We are the 196th such community in 42 states and 3 countries. (Our Policy has been established, and over 102 pastors have joined in signing that policy.)
- Establish a network of trained mentor couples that are available to help other couples to prepare for a life-long marriage, strengthen existing ones, and restore troubled marriages. (Presently, over 70 couples have been trained.)
Click here to view a video overview of the Marriage Resource Center.
These Mentors will help the couples in need to:
- Avoid a bad marriage before it begins
- Prepare couples for a lifelong marriage
- Enrich all existing marriages
- Restore troubled marriages
- Reconcile separated couples
- Help step-families to succeed
Other strategies we will utilize to attain our goals will include:
- Partner with other community organizations such as Head Start, Care Net, and others to provide relationship training for underprivileged, unwed parents to make marriage a viable alternative for the relationship.
- Provide our local business community with marriage relationship education tools that will increase the strength of employee families, thus boosting employee productivity and satisfaction with their work and their life in general.
- Provide premarital education classes and mentoring to every couple considering marriage in Frederick County.
- Provide and promote periodic top-quality marriage enrichment events locally at reasonable rates so all may attend. These events will cover topics such as communication skills, conflict resolution skills and financial management skills.
Our Executive Director, Rev. Robert J. Donk, and his wife Cathy
Bob spent most of his early years in the small, central New York town of Savannah. At the age of 15 he unexpectedly was introduced to a very pretty girl named Cathy at a high school dance. A few dances and then a few months later he found himself going steady, which lasted for the next 7 years until graduation from college and their marriage on June 10, 1967.
Bob & Cathy are the proud parents of 2 grown sons, with a wonderful daughter-in-law and 5 precious grandsons. There were some difficult times for the high school sweethearts that nearly resulted in the destruction of their marriage. Then, just at the right time, when they needed God the most, He sent them a wonderful mentor couple who led them into the saving of their souls and the saving of their marriage as well.
Because of their own marital difficulties, Bob was very excited when the Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship here in Frederick asked him to lead a committee to begin what is now the Marriage Resource Center of Frederick County. Since the founding in April 2005, Bob has received 501(c)3 non-profit status, and established two teams of mentor couples to help engaged couples prepare for marriage and help couples experiencing marital difficulties to be able to overcome these problems and learn new relationship skills. He is a certified Prepare-Enrich instructor and a certified "How To Avoid Falling For A Jerk" instructor.
Click here to read Bob and Cathy's full testimony.
Here are some of Bob’s comments regarding the 3 main mentoring areas:
- “Having been a pastor who used a pre-marital inventory to prepare couples for a life-long marriage, I have seen its importance. Cathy & I had no preparation for our marriage other than seven years of dating and the issues we should have discussed and resolved, caused many relationship problems later on.”
- “Through our early years of marriage we never attended a marriage strengthening event and so our relationship deteriorated over time like so many others.”
- “We have experienced first-hand the benefits of being mentored through difficult times.”
Our Program Manager - Rev. Tracy Wiser
Phone: 301-524-4385
Email: tracy@marriagefrederick.org
Tracy has been a resident of Frederick County for over 30 years; receiving his B.A. degree in Religion from Hood College in 1995. He married his wife Patricia some 23 years ago and they have been blessed with 3 wonderful sons who currently reside with them in their home in the city of Frederick.
Tracy has served as a local pastor from 1996 until accepting his current position with the Marriage Resource Center in January, 2013. He has always desired to see couples prepare properly for their marital commitment to one another and also to help them navigate whatever difficulties they may encounter as they travel life's journey together. As Program Manager, Tracy will have many opportunities to fulfill both of these goals as he reaches out to every resident of Frederick County and the surrounding area with our great Marriage Education message.
Our Governing Board and Its Structure
The Board of Directors for the Marriage Resource Center of Frederick County has adopted the "Policy Governance Model for Non-profit Organizations" developed by John Carver and Miriam Carver, as our model of governance. We believe it provides an excellent structure for board/staff discipline, leadership and accountability. Other local organizations using this model include the YMCA and Frederick County Public Schools.
This structure designates the population of Frederick County, Maryland as the moral equivalent to its "ownership". As such, our governing board acts as the on-site voice of that ownership and exists to represent and to speak for the interests of the owners.
The following individuals serve on our Board of Directors:
Brett Hess, Board Chairman |
Rev. Brett Barry |
|
Erin Barry |
Kay Dallavalle |
|
Rev. Alexander Hardy |
Flip Lacy |
|
Bob Miller |
At Large Board Members
Jim Devereaux
Retired public servant
Former Frederick News Post Columnist
Dr. Daniel Haffey
Licensed Psychologist, Westview Psychological and Counseling Services
Pastor of Discipleship, Grace Community Church
Rachel Haffey, M.S.
Psychological Associate, Westview Psychological and Counseling Services
Homeschooling Mom
Ron Pitts
Retired Military
Pro-life Advocate
Pat Shoemaker
Advertising Specialist
Rev. Jonathan Switzer
Pastor, Crossroads Valley Church
We are also advised and supported by a wonderful group of congregational leaders and mentor couples who provide a wealth of experience and wisdom. By sharing their advice, perceptions and ideas, they greatly enhance our ability to provide the best service to every citizen of Frederick County. They also serve as very effective "verbal ambassadors" for the organization in our community.
Employees and Volunteers
Angie Dallavalle
Facebook Coordinator
Sue Hynes
Newsletter Editor
Roberta Greenwald
Prayer Team Member
Chris Blucher
Prayer Team Member
Aleta Bell
Assistant for RINGS Class
Michelle Goddard
Web Site Administrator
