After counseling many families struggling with teen pregnancy and destructive behaviors, Scott Phelps decided something must be done to prevent these problems before they start. In January 1999, Scott joined the ChicagoCare Pregnancy Center (now Caris) to develop and implement abstinence programs in public schools across Chicago and the Northwest suburbs. Scott later began working for Project Reality, a statewide program in Glenview where he served as National Program Director working to expand the reach of abstinence programs. During this time, Scott wrote two popular abstinence curricula: A.C. Green’s GamePlan and Navigator which are now widely used around the country.
In April 2004, A&M Partnership was founded with a vision of reaching every teenager in the country with the abstinence and marriage message. An intensive national plan was created and funding was secured to provide abstinence programs throughout the United States. The Excel and Aspire programs were developed to accomplish this task. Through the success of this program, A&M Partnership has become one of the leading providers of abstinence education programs around the country, training hundreds of teachers and providing materials for programs in all 50 states.
In December 2006 Scott and a small group of abstinence leaders co-founded the National Abstinence Education Association in Washington, D.C. which is taking a leading role in defending and promoting abstinence programs in the country. Scott serves on the Board of Directors of the NAEA.
In Fall 2008, Project Reality founder Kathleen Sullivan retired and asked Scott Phelps to carry on the good work she had begun. A&M brought the Game Plan and Navigator programs into their curricula series, enabling A&M to train Project Reality’s educators and reach even more teenagers throughout the country. Mrs. Sullivan was a pioneer in the field of abstinence and helped pave the way on a national level for abstinence education in public schools.
Today, A&M has a series of five curricula for teenagers and serves pregnancy centers, public and private schools, churches, and community organizations throughout the country.