My fiancée and I attended a Preparing for Marriage class at First Things First of Chattanooga in December 2019.Prior to the class, I was skeptical about whether or not it would prove to be of any value, and was not fond of the idea of giving up so much time on a Saturday so that I could simply obtain a discount on our marriage license.After the class, I had to admit to myself that my opinion had been turned on its head. The lessons covered a variety of important topics (including effective communications, budgeting and financial planning, and conflict management) and often included fun activities to help convey key points. The instructors also drew upon and spoke of their own experiences, which made it all the more personable and relatable.While my fiancée and I both came away with the same self-realization of how well we were doing in the continuing development of our relationship, we also agreed that the Preparing for Marriage class provided us with quite a few helpful and insightful nuggets that we could use to further enhance and elevate our relationship.Ultimately, we found this class to be educational, engaging, and extremely valuable. Thank you to the staff at First Things First for such an enjoyable Saturday.

After attending the Preparing for Marriage class, my fiance and I felt better informed of what conversations may arise in our new life together. The staff and educators at First Things First were very friendly and helpful to answer any questions we had. The class was fun and we recommend it to everyone. We also enjoy taking our nieces and nephews to their free events like Movies in the Park! What a great organization that is always one step ahead of knowing what families need.

First Things First is an incredibly efficient and productive non-profit organization whose purpose is to better the Chattanooga areas relationships and family dynamics.They have changed lives by educating people on what it means to be in a healthy relationship and how to have effective communication skills. Even greater than this, they have also accomplished their goal of changing married couples idea of getting a divorce; they have also made it possible for a father behind on child support and facing possible jail time to gain some or full custody of their child/children. I believe in the power of educating individuals on relationships and on family aspects; I believe in First Things First.

We got to know this wonderful organization after doing a google search for marraige retreats in the Georgia area. We have 3 boys under 6 years old and needed to do some quality couple work and rejuvinate our relationship. Their workshop/retreat was fantastic. Thank you!

Me and my wife wanted to continue growth in our marriage and this was it. David Banks and Anovia Slaughter were amazing in giving us new looks at how marriage is level not staged. They was engaging, professional, funny and witty with there seminar I suggest this for any level of marriage from brand new to 40 years

An amazing non-profit that has a wide variety of classes for parents, parenting, marriage, engagements, and more. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Friendly staff! We enjoyed their preparing for marriage class.

Wonderful opportunities here! Good people!

Took a preparing for marriage class. Learned a lot, definitely recommend there classes

Doing fantastic work to improve the community.

First Things First is a wonderful non-profit organization located in Chattanooga, Tennessee that provides local family families with classes, events, and resources to strengthen and empower relationships in all stages of life. First Things First also puts on local events that attract big crowds such as Chattanooga’s Ultimate Date Night and Movies in the Park. Chattanooga has benefited from the hard work of the staff and volunteers at First Things First for 20 years. In those 20 years, some miraculous changes have come to the people of Chattanooga thanks to FTF such as a reduction in the divorce rates and teen pregnancy rates, as well as over $8 million saved in taxpayer money thanks to the Dads Making a Difference class. Chattanooga is beyond lucky to have First Things First in their backyard. Julie Baumgardner, President and CEO of FTF, is a local community leader that has won countless awards for her dedication to helping strengthen families. The staff at FTF is top notch with their ability to leave an impression on class participants that goes beyond just teaching the basics. I can’t wait to see how First Things First will continue to impact the families of Chattanooga and beyond.

Knowledge is power great people

Graduated from Dads Making a Difference and highly recommend them to other fathers!

Great mission and wonderful staff

Great people and programs!

Marriage class is totally worth it!

Rebuilding lives one at a time