A project of Catholic Charities Inc. - Diocese of Wichita

We first learned about a program called “Marriage for Keeps” in 2008 through The Catholic Diocese of Wichita.  We understood and agreed with the premise and believed that in order to maintain a happy and healthy marriage, time needed to be invested in it on a regular basis.

Jennifer contacted the program administrator and learned more about the program, but unforunately there were income guidelines in place and we made too much money to qualify.  Oh well…

A whole year passed and we’d all but forgotten about Marriage for Keeps (and investing that regular time in strengthening our marriage) then we got a phone call.  It was Nikki from Marriage for Keeps and she told us that the income guidelines had changed and we were now allowed to participate.  Cool!  We scheduled an interview, which they refer to as an intake, and hoped they’d like us enough to include us in the program.

Intake day arrived and after a bit of trouble locating the exact buidling, we introduced ourselves to Nikki and she sat us down to talk about Marriage for Keeps.  Come to find out, selection for the program was totally random.  Basically, the computer would flip a coin at the end of our interview and we’d know if we were in.

In all actuality, we were in the program either way but like any scientific research experiment there was a group who received all the benefits of the program and a control group that did not get to participate.  Both groups would be contacted on a regular basis to answer questions and that research would be used to determine the program’s effectiveness.

The interview took about an hour and consisted of written questions and confirmation of some information the program already had on file.  We reached the end, Nikki turned her laptop towards us, and pushed the magic button. (Really it was just ‘Enter’.)  May we have a drumroll please…

We were in the…CONTROL GROUP!!!  Hey, wait a minute.  That’s not what we wanted.

No classes, no date nights, no assigned Family Support Specialist, and not much more to write about.  Just some phone and written surveys every few months over the next several years.  Bummer.

We didn’t make the final cut, but you still can. Several communities in Kansas are currently interviewing couples for the program.  Outside of Kansas, check with your local Catholic Charities office or do a web search for “Marriage for Keeps”.

Also check out our Examiner.com article about this valuable program…Parenting 101: How do I sign up for Marriage for Keeps in Wichita, KS.

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