Adler-Baeder receives award from the Alabama Fatherhood Initiative Francesca Adler-Baeder, AU associate professor of human development and family studies, received the Strengthening Alabama Families Award from the Alabama Fatherhood Initiative on June 14 in Montgomery. Adler-Baeder and 14 other award recipients were recognized for their contributions to the goals of the Alabama Fatherhood Initiative, a network of organizations that assists non-custodial parents in enhancing their ability to provide financial support to their children. It also encourages non-custodial parents to be involved in their children's lives in a nurturing, constructive way. Through Adler-Baeder's leadership, the AU College of Human Sciences was awarded an $8.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the work of the Alabama Community Healthy Marriage Initiative, which is a partnership of Auburn University, the Children's Trust Fund of Alabama, eleven family resource centers and mental health centers. The grant aims to strengthen family bonds by raising public awareness about the importance of healthy marriages for children, family and community well-being; increasing access to healthy marriage resources; and training community members and professionals in research-based programs that strengthen relationships and marriages.