Guest Post by Whitney Rupe Over the weekend of September 20th, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in Families United Action Network – FUANs booth at the Tri-City BBQ Fest in Denison, Iowa. Thousands of people attended this festival. It was a fantastic way to get FUANs name heard and share our cause of Family Law Reform with the crowd. Great people, great food, and great music; the atmosphere was amazing! Our primary focus for the day was asking people to vote in our corn poll and give us their opinion on one matter in particular: “Should a child have equal access to both parents if both are fit, willing, and able?” Lesson Number 1. The public’s understanding of the issue. While some thought this was absolutely a no-brainer, others had opinions that went in the opposite direction. But that was why we were there, to listen and maybe sway a person’s opinion once they better understood what the question was. Many people who were initially against or apprehensive about the idea of Shared Parenting changed their view once they realized that this does not mean mandated Shared Parenting even when one parent is unfit. Once this issue was … Read More
Families United Action Network’s Bubbles of Love Event a Hit in Iowa!
If you missed our annual Bubbles of Love Event, here’s a recap of the great time we had with celebrities, legislators, attorneys, and musicians. FUAN hosted this event to support children and their families and to bring awareness to a form of child abuse known as Parental Alienation. Parental Alienation is the systematic destruction of the parent-child bond, through but not limited to, emotional and mental manipulation, causing unwarranted fears within the child about the target parent. Parental Alienation is the undermining and interfering with a normal child-parent bond. We have also learned that not only is this abuse perpetrated by angry parents, but it is also enabled by the very agents who claim to be acting in the child’s best interest. We had a wonderful hit line-up, despite the weather not cooperating. The morning started off sunny. As the event got started, the weather turned dreary, cold, and rainy on this Thursday afternoon, April 25, 2019, as we gathered on the Capitol steps. Around 12:00 pm, our musical guests began setting up and sound checking equipment. At this point though, papers were flying off the table and our canopies were being destroyed by the wind. I watched the crowd … Read More
Attend the International Parental Alienation Awareness Day – April 25, 2019
International Parental Alienation Awareness Day (PAAD) April 25, 2019, will be the 14th annual International Parental Alienation Awareness Day, and the 5th annual PAAD for FUAN in Iowa. During the week surrounding April 25, 2019, Parental Alienation Awareness Day observances will be held around the world to create awareness and education about parental alienation. Not in Iowa? Find an event near you at this website. In it’s simplest definition, parental alienation occurs when one parent engages in alienating behaviors to damage or destroy a child’s relationship with their other parent. To be clear, parental alienation is a layperson term for what is an actual form of child psychological abuse. As is the case with any psychological abuse, parental alienation results in serious trauma to the victims who, in these cases, are innocent children who simply have the natural desire to have loving relationships with both of their fit parents. Children abused with parental alienation often suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, emotional issues, serious physical ailments, self-harm behaviors, and suicidal thoughts. As long as the abuse continues, the damage to the victim continues. The abuse often continues into adulthood so it’s important to state that an alienated child can be … Read More
Bubbles of Love Feat Tom Pischke
FUAN is pleased to announce that South Dakota Representative Tom Pischke will be joining the roster for the Bubbles of Love event on April 25th on the West grounds of the Iowa State Capitol Building. It is indeed an honor to have a legislator from our neighboring state joining us for this celebration! Tom Pischke was born in Tyndall, South Dakota and is the father of four children. He graduated from Dakota State University with a B.S. in Computer and Information Systems Security and Information Assurance. He is a System Quality Analyst for Esurance. Tom Pischke is a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives serving his second term. While he has served on the Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee and also on the Commerce and Energy Committee, he currently serves on Judiciary and Taxation Committees. Representing District 25 in Southeast SD, Tom passionately fights to protect our faith, our families, and our freedoms. He is a strong believer in Wildlife Conservation and 2nd Amendment rights. After personally experiencing the injustice of the family court system, Tom has become an advocate for Shared Parenting. Fueled by his love for his children, and the alarming statistics about children from fatherless homes, Tom … Read More
Bubbles of Love Feat Toya Johnson and Attorney Jeff Janssen
Two powerhouses have been added to the speaking agenda for our annual Bubbles of Love event planned for April 25, 2019, on the West grounds of the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines. Both of these individuals are board members of FUAN. They will be speaking on issues within the family court system, including judicial induced parental alienation. (This concept was first identified as “court-induced parental alienation™” by Fix Family Courts in 2013 and a workshop on this will be taught the following day.) ToyA Johnson is Iowa born and raised; she has lived in Des Moines most of her life. She says of herself, “I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, sister, cousin, friend, and an advocate. I am you or someone you know; even when you don’t know me personally, you may know someone who experienced similar struggles in their lives that I have.” ToyA believes that it is in those struggles, when we come together and share common ground, that real progress is made. ToyA is the co-founder of Iowa Citizens for Justice and an owner of FreshStart Life Solutions, which focuses on innovative and creative solutions to the challenges of life and business. She … Read More
Bubbles of Love Feat Zachary Martin
FUAN is proud to announce that Zachary Martin will be a keynote speaker at our “Bubbles of Love” event on Aprit 25th, 2019. Talk about a dad on a mission! Our great friend Zach has been working relentlessly toward the goal of equal Shared Parenting and the elimination of Parental Alienation with much success. Zach will be bringing his knowledge and motivation regarding Family Law Reform right here to Iowa! You will not want to miss his speech! Who is Zachary Martin? Zac founded Kids Deserve Dads in November of 2017 after entering the beginning phase of the legal battle to be involved in his son Elijah’s life. At 6 months old, Elijah’s mother decided to keep Zach from his son. He was granted 10 hours time every 2 weeks after having spent nearly every day with Elijah up to this point. Emotionally and financially, the cost to be part of Elijah’s life was immense. Zach had a solid family backing and a job that allowed him the means for the fight to be in his son’s life. However, going through the battle, he realized that many parents were not as fortunate. The system was failing Elijah and the many … Read More
FUAN Welcomes Iowa Legislators to Bubbles of Love Event
FUAN will be hosting their annual Parental Alienation Awareness event known internationally as “Bubbles of Love” on the West grounds of the Iowa State Capitol Building on April 25th. Our list of speakers and performers continues to grow by the day! Among them will be 2001 Grammy Award performer, Philly Slimm, who will give a speech and a musical performance! Along with Philly Slimm will be Dr. Carols Rivera, Pediatrician, WLINY Radio Show Host In the Best Interest of the Children, Family Law Reform, Parental Alienation Awareness. As a former practicing physician, he has an extensive background in caring for children, many of whom were affected by divorce and/or custodial division. With all of the momentum here in Iowa for CPS Reform and Shared Parenting bills HF706, SF571, HF719, (and more – click here to find a bill), we are becoming increasingly excited about our upcoming events in April! We are thrilled to announce two keynote speakers who, by working together toward a common goal, have made huge strides regarding Family Law Reform: Ron and Sherry Palmer. We cannot wait to see the way they will educate and inspire our fellow Iowans at the Bubbles of Love Event and at … Read More