FamilyFoundationBlog.com

We are excited to announce that our new website, www.familyfoundation.org, integrates our blog so multiple sites are no longer necessary.  You, our readers, have made familyfoundationblog.com one of the most read political blogs in Virginia!  To continue following our Blogging  just go to our new website, the blog is right on the front page.

The newly designed, dynamic website invites you to join the conversation on social issues, meeting 21^st century demands by weaving social media throughout its pages.   The new design also combines several other sites, including Pastors For Family Values and Family Foundation Action.

The site also includes:

«  Relevant daily news stories (Today’s Headlines) available on the home page;

«  A Take Action page that includes information on how you can affect public opinion and influence your elected officials with instruction son how to send a letter to the editor and how to effectively communicate with your representatives;

«  Resources for pastors and ministry leaders;

«  A Citizen Action Toolkit with links to a host of grassroots resources;

«  Information about Family Foundation policy proposals

There is also information on The Family Foundation’s Ignite Campaign and our leadership groups so you can learn how you can support The Family Foundation financially.  Our donation page is easy, fast and secure!

It is our goal to bring you the most relevant, timely information and to give you the opportunity to interact with us and other pro-family Virginians through the blog, Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.

Many people choose to make The Family Foundation’s website their home page to ensure that they are kept fully informed daily about what we are doing in Richmond and around the Commonwealth.  With the Blog and Headlines on the home page you won’t have to go any further to find out the how your values are being affected in Richmond.

Please visit the web site today!

In a few days, we will be redirecting familyfoundationblog.com to the new site.

What does late spring in an odd year mean? Of course! The Family Foundation General Assembly Report Card soon will be released, grading all 140 members of the General Assembly over the last two years on matters of family values and limited government (click on the link for ordering information). It also means our Annual General Assembly Report soon will be available online. It’s a summary of events and an overview of the recent session, a look at what was accomplished and what was not, as well as a behind the scenes look at how some legislation was made (not pretty!). We’ll post the details and the link as soon as it becomes available.

We also have a pretty big announcement, hopefully, sometime this week. Keep checking back for it. We think you’ll like this surprise — and it’s not the Equality Virginia news conference tomorrow, either, although we’ll be there to cover it just in case there is anything if import to come out of it. So, please continue to log on to our social media sites to keep up to date on several news items from The Family Foundation.

Here’s a reminder about a great event we’re co-sponsoring tomorrow night in Centerville explaining how to investigate and prevent voter fraud. We we hope you can attend if you live or will be in the area.

The King Street Patriots from Houston is a group that was shocked to uncover several voting irregularities in its hometown elections, so it created an initiative called True the Vote, which is becoming a model for groups to fight voter fraud across the country (see video and read background, here). With General Assembly elections this November — normally very low turnout campaigns where a few votes can mean the difference between a conservative or liberal Senate — eliminating voter fraud is more important than ever. If elections are not fair they are not free. So, please attend Centreville Baptist Church tomorrow night at 7:00. to learn more. Catherine Engelbrecht, President of The King Street Patriots (see Breitbart.tv), will share the shocking experiences she encountered with the Houston True the Vote organization.

The video below is a Fox News Channel interview of Ms. Engelbrecht and Family Foundation friend Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Institute. (Kelly was a key partner of us developing strategy during the Marriage Amendment campaign and LI has successfully argued religious liberty cases at the U.S. Supreme Court.) In it, they explain the outrageous and scary voter fraud discovered in Texas during recent elections.

Ms. Engelbrecht, herself, has a remarkable story and worth the time to see. She is a successful entrepreneur in the oil services industry, a mom and someone who was motivated in recent times to get involved in the political process after seeing the direction of our country. She founded The King Street Patriots and her work for it is entirely volunteer.

At the meeting you will also receive updates from American Majority, a Virginia-based national training organization whose mission is to train leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market. In addition, The Family Foundation will provide an update on the latest General Assembly and November election news. If you are in Northern Virginia, will be in the area, or want to make the trip, we encourage you to attend. For more information, contact Roger Pogge at 804-343-0010 or roger@familyfoundation.org.

The event is free and open to the public. Click here to register, for directions or for more information.

True The Vote Informational Meeting

Centreville Baptist Church

15100 Lee Highway, Centreville

Tuesday, May 17

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Much is at stake this November: “If elections are not fair they are not free.”

Congratulations to Senator Mark Obenshain (R-26, Harrisonburg) and his wife Suzanne who were awarded the Wilberforce Award at the Valley Family Forum’s annual “Salute To The Family” dinner Friday night. A heartfelt thanks to the hundreds who turned out for the dinner to hear Bishop E.W. Jackson speak and to advance family values in the Shenandoah Valley and Commonwealth.

If you haven’t reserved your seat for this Friday’s Valley Family Forum “Salute to the Family,” with special guest Bishop E. W. Jackson, time is running out. If you live or work in the Shenandoah Valleyare within driving range, or just want to make a night of it, we hope you will join us at this wonderful event.

The program begins at 6:30 Friday, May 13, at the James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center in Harrisonburg. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of God and Country.”

Bishop Jackson is founder and Chairman of S.T.A.N.D., a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and to preserving our Christian faith and values, and Exodus Faith Ministries, based in Chesapeake. He is a nationally acclaimed speaker, combining immense intellect and passion, whom no one forgets after hearing. He is an ex-Marine, Harvard Law School educated attorney, and frequent guest on the national media programs, including those on ABC, FOX News and NPR. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have covered him and he’s even braved the liberals on MSNBC. Bishop Jackson also is the former chaplain at Boston Red Sox Services and for The Family Foundation.

The evening will include special music by The Faithful Men, plus the annual Wilberforce Award presentation. Tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a table of eight. For reservations, e-mail family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call 540-438-8966. The Valley Family Forum is a grassroots chapter of The Family Foundation.

* This event is to benefit The Valley Family Forum and The Family Foundation and is not a campaign fundraiser for Bishop Jackson. Titles, party affiliations and references to elected offices sought are listed for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by The Family Foundation.

Tomorrow morning at 9:30, in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Obama administration’s appeal of Judge Henry Hudson’s ruling that the federal health care law is unconstitutional will be heard. As we have been at every step of the way, from the motion to dismiss to Judge Hudson’s decision, we will be there to cover it and will have video of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s entire post hearing news conference. We are the only Internet site has posted the entirety of each of his ObamaCare news conferences. Be sure to check back here for coverage of this history-making lawsuit which will play a significant role in the direction of our country.

Is there election fraud going on in our nation? Is it happening here in Virginia? If so, what can be done to prevent it?

The King Street Patriots from Houston asked these same questions and were shocked to find many irregularities in its hometown election process. In response, it created an initiative called True the Vote, which is becoming a model for groups to fight voter fraud across the country. Learn what the King Street Patriots discovered and what it is doing about it at 7:00 p.m on Tuesday, May 17, at Centreville Baptist Church in Centreville. Catherine Engelbrecht, The King Street Patriots president (see Breitbart.tv), will share her experiences with True the Vote in the Houston area. Ms. Engelbrecht, herself, has a remarkable story, as a successful entrepreneur in the oil services industry, a mom and someone who was motivated in recent times to get involved in the political process after seeing the direction of our country. She founded The King Street Patriots and her work for it is entirely volunteer.

Attendees also will receive updates from American Majority, a Virginia-based national training organization whose mission is to train leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market, as well as The Family Foundation. If you are in Northern Virginia, will be in the area, or want to make the trip, we encourage you to attend. For more information, contact Roger Pogge at 804-343-0010 or roger@familyfoundation.org.

The event is free and open to the public. Click here to register, for directions or for more information.

True The Vote Informational Meeting

Centreville Baptist Church

15100 Lee Highway, Centreville

Tuesday, May 17

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

It won’t be long before school is out and students will receive their final grades. Our sister organization, The Family Foundation Action, is preparing to issue its own grade report — its 2010-2011 Virginia General Assembly Report Card. This bi-annual compilation grades all senators and delegates in the General Assembly on their pro-family voting record over a full two-year General Assembly cycle, and is released to coincide with the next General Assembly election, which is this November. It provides voters every legislator’s voting record on issues relating to life, marriage, religious liberty, parental authority and constitutional government based on a wide range of key bills and Family Foundation priority legislation.

The Report Card has become a favorite of individuals and churches across Virginia and is one of the commonwealth’s most anticipated political documents and will be available by mid-May. They will be available to order free of charge for distribution at churches, schools or community groups. To be among the first in the state to receive the Report Card, click here to go to our order page, complete the form and they will be sent to you directly from the printer. Please consider placing your order before May 15 to ensure you receive your Report Cards in a timely manner. This also helps The Family Foundation Action by allowing it to prepare for Winning Matters 2011 (more on that in a future post) rather than the fulfillment and shipping of hundreds of orders.

This is another critical election year in Virginia, as all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for election. It will be the first time in four years (when it elected a new majority) that the Virginia Senate has faced the voters, giving Virginians the opportunity to determine whether or not they like the direction the state Senate has taken since 2007.

Our Founding Fathers knew that an educated electorate was essential to good government. This has never been truer than it is today. Be sure to order enough Report Cards to have some extra for your friends, family and work associates.

Mark your calendar for June 1 as we again gather in Colonial Williamsburg with concerned citizens from Hampton Roads and across the commonwealth to call out to God to restore our nation to its Judeo-Christian principles and heal our land. (See picture from last year’s event.)

On June 1, 1774, the Virginia House of Burgesses called a Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer (see proclamation at CW’s web site) as American colonists called out to the Lord to intervene when the British closed the harbor at Boston. Today, our foes are much different, but they are just as real. Whether the attack is on life, on marriage or on religious liberty, we know that there are real threats to our freedom, liberty and prosperity.

The Family Foundation will commemorate that important prayer event on Wednesday, June 1, in the historic colonial capital, with the ad hoc group Virginians for Liberty, to ask the Lord to have mercy on us and heal our land. See the video below to see historian and WallBuilders founder David Barton briefly recount the historic event and explain how to participate in this very important event. After watching it, please share it or this blog post’s link with your friends, family members and especially your pastor. We have a similar video available that is designed to be shown in churches during worship services and will make that available to any church that would like to show it to their congregation. If your church does not have the ability to download and show the video, we can also make a DVD copy available for viewing.

We will assemble at the Colonial Capitol on Duke of Gloucester Street promptly at 8:00 a.m. and walk to Bruton Parish Church where prayers will be offered along with some 18th century hymns. This will cover several blocks, so wear comfortable shoes. The event will end at 9:00. Bring a U.S., Virginia or Christian flag and wave it as a symbol of your devotion to this cause.

Parking can be confusing around Colonial Williamsburg. There is a parking lot near Bassett Hall, 522 Francis Street East, which is very convenient to the Capitol. For more information or questions, please call Roger Pogge in our office at 804-343-0010 or e-mail him at roger@familyfoundation.org. We look forward to seeing you there.

A Call to Prayer

Colonial Williamsburg

Wednesday, June 1, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m

Here’s another reminder of the Valley Family Forum’s 10th annual Shenandoah Valley “Salute to the Family,” with special guest Bishop E. W. Jackson. If you live in the Valley, or even outside of it, this is a terrific event that has gained a prominent spot on the political calendar each year. So, we hope you can join us in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, on Friday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the outstanding James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center in Harrisonburg. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of God and Country.”

Bishop Jackson is founder and Chairman of S.T.A.N.D., a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and to preserving our Christian faith and values, and Exodus Faith Ministries, based in Chesapeake. He is an ex-Marine, Harvard Law School graduate, acclaimed speaker, and frequent guest on national television and radio, including ABC, MSNBC, FOX News and NPR. He has been written about in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Bishop Jackson also is the former chaplain of the Boston Red Sox and for The Family Foundation.

The evening will include special music is by The Faithful Men, plus the annual Wilberforce Award presentation. Tickets are $25 per person, or $200 for a table of eight. For reservations, write to family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call (540) 438-8966. The Valley Family Forum is a grassroots chapter of The Family Foundation.

Note: This event is to benefit The Valley Family Forum and is not a campaign fundraiser for Bishop Jackson. Titles, party affiliations and references to elected offices sought are listed for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by The Valley Family Forum or The Family Foundation.