GRANTHAM, Pa. (Sept. 20, 2007) — The 17th Annual Building Strong Families conference, sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations and supporting universities and agencies, will take place on Oct. 11 from 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. in Boyer Hall academic building on Messiah College’s Grantham campus. The conference includes a sit-down lunch for attendees; a keynote address by Patricia Tanner Nelson, extension family and human development specialist at the University of Delaware; a human services fair; a student poster session; and numerous workshops and presentations by chosen speakers. The conference’s specific focus is to examine families and health, both physical and mental, and this theme will be explored through a series of interactive, applied workshop presentations. Reservations are $55 for those wishing to attend and may be made at www.messiah.edu/bsf.

Nelson, doctor of education and certified family life educator, obtained her doctorate in family and community education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. In addition to being extension family and human development specialist at the University of Delaware, she also holds a professorship there in food and resource economics. Her work focuses on the management of family stress, balancing familial responsibilities and career, and parental support and education. Her lecture, “Families Matter: Putting Our Knowledge into Action,” will be at 1:45–2:45 p.m.

About the Building Strong Families Conference

The Building Strong Families Conference, approaching its second decade in existence, focuses on the critical role of families in culture, seeking to encourage the study of families and to promote family life education. Conferences in the past have touched on topics ranging from families surviving loss to men in families, raising children in a diverse society and relationships among persons over 50 years of age. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations, the regional affiliate of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), the conference’s supporters and leaders make their goal “to promote and coordinate educational efforts to help and strengthen families; to further effective social action promoting strong, diverse and vibrant families.”

About Messiah College

Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,800 undergraduate students in 60 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.