Alternatives to Marriage Project Update - Spring 2005
Affirming Family Diversity/Challenging the Status Quo

IN THIS ISSUE:
Big Unmarried News! AtMP Grows with Unmarried America Membership Merge
AtMP's Executive Director Search Re-Opened with Higher Salary
Meet Thomas Coleman, Unmarried America's Former Director
A Celebration of Love: One Couple's Commitment Ceremony
Opinion: A Happy Single's Post-Valentine's Day Reflections, by L.
AtMP in the News
Write for Our Website and Newsletter!

Big Unmarried News! AtMP Grows with Unmarried America Membership Merge

There was big news recently in the AtMP office when Thomas Coleman, Executive Director of Unmarried America, contacted the Alternatives to Marriage Project to propose merging Unmarried America with AtMP. AtMP enthusiastically welcomed this opportunity to help our organization grow. AtMP has always been inclusive of single people, Unmarried America's primary constituency, along with unmarried couples and families of all sexual orientations.

Coleman and Unmarried America co-founder Nora Baladerian met in Albany in April, where Coleman and Baladerian literally handed off their "torch of advocacy for single and unmarried people" to AtMP founders Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot (you can see a photo of the occasion on the Unmarried America website.

In this newsletter, you'll have a chance to meet Thomas Coleman of Unmarried America (below), and read about how this growth will help AtMP pay its new executive director a higher salary (below -- it's not too late to apply for the job!). AtMP extends a warm welcome to Unmarried America supporters. We are delighted to have you be part of our community!

AtMP's Executive Director Search Re-Opened with Higher Salary

Thanks to the growth in the Alternatives to Marriage Project's membership base with the addition of Unmarried America supporters, AtMP's board made the decision to increase the salary it would be able to offer its new executive director. The hiring search was re-opened, with a salary offer of $20,000 - $25,000, an increase from the earlier listing offering $12,000 - $15,000. Existing applicants are still being considered, in addition to new applicants. We hope and expect that a new executive director with strong fundraising skills will be able to help AtMP's budget -- and their own salary -- continue to grow!

Resumes for the executive director position are being considered now. It's not too late to apply if you submit a cover letter and resume ASAP! Read the job description and application instructions here.

Meet Thomas Coleman, Unmarried America's Former Director

Thomas F. Coleman, former executive director of Unmarried America, has an impressive history of advocacy for the rights of single and unmarried people. Newsletter editor Karen Sosnoski recently had the opportunity to interview Tom -- you can read more about their conversation, and Tom's experience and vision, here.

A Celebration of Love: One Couple's Commitment Ceremony

Bucking the white wedding tradition might be more difficult and more fun than expected. Tom Schicker and Kirsten Isgro tell the story of their commitment ceremony and share photos here.

Opinion: A Happy Single's Post-Valentine's Day Reflections, by L.

According to the author, while "this year's Valentine's cards were tossed within 48 hours, the chocolates devoured by the third day (at most) and the flowers died within a week" many singles are still celebrating. Find out how and why here.

AtMP in the News

CNN Headline News: Love, Money, & AtMP

Valerie Morris of CNN's Headline News interviewed AtMP board member Jen Gaboury and partner Jacob Goldfinger for a piece on financial matters and the unmarried that aired the day before Valentine's Day. The segment featured AtMP's website and Unmarried to Each Other (http://www.unmarried.org/bookstore.html). Morris discussed the steps that couples might take to protect themselves such as signing durable power of attorney for health care and financial matters as well as drafting a cohabitation agreement and a will.

Unmarried couples don't automatically receive the same protections that married couples do. To learn about steps you can take to gain certain legal protections, see the Legal Issues section of our website.

ABCNews.com Quotes AtMP on Time Off for Caring

AtMP co-founder Marshall Miller was quoted in an ABCNews.com article about proposed legislation that would allow parents time off from work to attend their children's school functions. Miller said, "There's no reason to limit that kind of policy to just parents. Everyone can benefit. You should be able to take time off from work to take a friend to a chemotherapy appointment or take care of your mother or go to your father's retirement party. Society benefits, because the more you can provide opportunities to care for one another, that's less of a toll on everyone else. If someone's willing to take unpaid time off from work to care for somebody, that means that Medicare doesn't have to." You can read the article at http://abcnews.go.com/Business/print?id=661009.

Other recent AtMP media appearances include:

Print Media: Aging Lifestyles column (nationally syndicated), Foster's Sunday Citizen (NH), Free Lance-Star (VA), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, San Jose Mercury News, Tuscaloosa News, and US 1 (NJ)

Radio: RadioActive (KRCL Salt Lake City)

Online: ABCNews.com, Bankrate.com, Forbes.com, Tolerance.org

Write for Our Website and Newsletter!

AtMP is continuing to expand our list of available newsletter and website writers. If you're interested in contributing an article, book review, or anything else, send an email to newsletter editor Karen Sosnoski at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Newsletter editor: Karen Sosnoski