20th annual Building Strong Families Conference to focus on supporting families in economic uncertainty

Register by Sept. 15 for discount

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Photograph of Naomi Gerstel

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (08/16/2010)(readMedia)-- The Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations (MACFR)-in collaboration with Elizabethtown College's Department of Sociology and Anthropology-will present the 20th Annual Building Strong Families Conference on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on the Elizabethtown College campus. Themed "Families in Economic Uncertainty," the conference will provide human services professionals, educators and students with tools to help families survive and thrive in tough economic times. Interested individuals may sign up for the conference by completing the registration form available through Elizabethtown's website. Discounts are available for early registration.

Naomi Gerstel-who is the Eastern Sociological Society's Robin L. Williams Jr. Lecturer-will present the conference's keynote address, "Rethinking Families: Economic Conditions, Kinship and Marriage." Gerstel is an award-winning and pioneering scholar and public sociologist whose research and writings have helped define the emerging subfields of work-family and the sociology of carework. The author or editor of four books, Gerstel most recently co-edited "Public Sociology: Michael Burawoy and His Critics" (University of California, 2007). Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation, among others. She has been recognized with several prestigious appointments and awards, including a visiting fellowship at the Russell Sage Foundation, the Rosabeth Moss Kanter International Award for Research Excellence in Families, the Samuel F. Conti Fellowship for Excellence in Research, and the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Research and Creative Activity at The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she has been on the faculty since 1978.

In addition to the keynote address, the conference offers a collection of timely and engaging sessions that focus on supporting families in difficult economic times. A Human Service Fair-featuring displays by representatives from local agencies and educational institutions, etc.-will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the K?V at the College's Brossman Commons. The conference also will include a student research poster competition and the presentation of the Distinguished Service to Families Award. A complete schedule is available online through the "Building Strong Families Conference" link available on Elizabethtown College's homepage (www.etown.edu).

Registration is required for all sessions but the keynote lecture, which is free and open to the public. The registration form is available on Elizabethtown's website. Discounted rates are offered for those who register by Sept. 15. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided for each conference participant. An application has been made for 5.0 hours of professional development credits/continuing education (CE) units. If approved, the credits/CE units will be available to participants for a $5 processing fee.

For more information, please visit Elizabethtown College's website or contact Michele Lee Kozimor-King, MACFR president and associate professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College, at kozimor-kim@etown.edu.

Elizabethtown College, in southeastern Pennsylvania, is a private coed college with degrees in liberal arts, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, business, communications and education. The hallmarks of an Elizabethtown education are academic rigor, high expectations and intellectual curiosity. Our faculty members are teacher-scholars, pursuing their academic areas of expertise while sharing that expertise with students. More information is available at www.etown.edu.

The Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations (MACFR)-formerly known as the Pennsylvania/Delaware Council on Family Relations-is a regional affiliate of the National Council on Family Relations. The organization promotes and coordinates educational efforts to help and strengthen families and encourages research on family issues. In addition, the members-including family professionals in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland-further effective social action promoting strong, diverse and vibrant families. More information is available at www.ncfr.org/member/Mid_AtlanticCFR.asp.

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Media Contact:

Lori H. Burke

Director of Communications

Elizabethtown College

burkel@etown.edu

717-361-1268 (o)

717-808-7318 (c)