Greg and Vonne Glitner

Advice to the new couples:

"By making our priorities God, family and career, we stayed focused on what was important to keep our commitment to our wedding vows. To make a marriage a success you need love, patience and support."

Nominations:

Greg and Vonne have dedicated their lives to being a couplet hat gives to others. While some might read this and think that by giving so much time and energy to others, that your marriage would suffer as a result. In fact, it is actually just the opposite. Through service to others they have strengthened their own marriage and have inspired hundreds of others during their 29 years of marriage.

Greg has been an Oklahoma City Police Officer for 22 years, and has served as Police Chaplin for the last ten. In this role, he supports police officers and their families during some of the most difficult times a family might face, including marital struggles. He is dedicated to keeping the marriages of police officers intact and strong. Greg regularly attends the Spousal Academy for the spouses of new police officers to help them understand the special challenges officers face and provide couples with the tools to effectively manage these stresses.

As a second grade teacher at Washington Elementary School, Vonne is known for being an exceptional teacher who cares about her students in the classroom and out. Through her work with the toy drive for the Department of Health and Human Services, she became aware of the need for good foster parents. Two years ago, after raising their own kids, Greg and Vonne became foster parents. In a short time they have provided love to a number of children, and soon will finalize the adoption of twin boys whom they've been fostering since they were just a few months old. A few years ago Greg was diagnosed with prostate cancer and during this time, I saw their love and dedication to each other.

My husband and I were lucky enough to meet them and they have always served as inspiration in our marriage and also on how to give to others. They are an example to everyone they are around, and I know they will continue to inspire others.