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
April 2019 FUAN Advocate of the Month
FUAN would like to thank and congratulate Julya Brophy of Ankeny, IA on being named the April 2019 Advocate of the Month! Julya is relatively new to the FUAN Family but jumped straight into the deep end proving she could swim with the best of them. She receives this recognition through the FUAN Board of Directors based on her recent articles, videos, advocacy, lobbying, recruiting, and overall energy she has brought to the Iowa Family Law Reform movement. Julya Brophy is an Iowa native who is passionate about serving her community through multiple outlets. She has been a nanny for many families in the Des Moines area, a patient care tech at Blank Children’s Hospital, and a “floating” certified nursing assistant for nursing homes throughout Des Moines. Julya currently is a tutor, co-owner of her husband’s art studio, and most importantly… a mother. In 2010, with the dream of pursuing a career in Pediatric Nursing, Julya graduated high school and moved to Des Moines. She was eager to do her part in helping and healing the fragile population that she cared so much about. Des Moines Area Community College was said to have the best nursing program in the area, … 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 Emmett Phillips Musical Performer
How can art contribute to the health and well-being of our youth here in Iowa? You will not want to miss out on meeting the expert in this field, who is changing lives through his message and his music. Emmett Phillips will be performing at FUAN’s Bubbles of Love Event at the Iowa State Capitol, and you will want to be there! Come for his powerful hip-hop music and stay to meet the man who is pouring inspiration and knowledge into our future generations. Emmett Phillips, raised in Des Moines, is a multi-disciplined artist, educator, and activist with a palpable passion for community-engaged practices. Emmett is most energized by work that revolves around youth development, social justice based art and building empathetic and empowered communities. He was a Program Coordinator for the youth at Children and Family Urban Movement Children and Family Urban Movement for 3 years, but recently accepted a new position in the youth department of Oakridge Neighborhood in partnership with Edmunds Elementary School. Emmett is currently the Vice President of a nonprofit urban farming initiative called Forest Avenue Outreach. He is also a teaching artist that works closely with Des Moines Public Schools and Culture All, as … 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