October 20, 2009
FMWRC displays role in helping deliver
Army Family Covenant promise at AUSA
By Tim Hipps
FMWRC Public Affairs
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Army Environmental Command's Sgt. Woof helps Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers bring an Army Strong message to visitors of the Installation Management Command display during the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 7 at the Washington Convention Center.
Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |
WASHINGTON – Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command employees explained how their programs deliver on the Army Family Covenant promise to guests at the Installation Management Command’s booth during the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 5-7 at the Washington Convention Center.
“Installation Management Command: The Army’s Home” featured an elaborate, high-tech display of dozens of FMWRC’s hundreds of programs and activities available to Soldiers and their Families. FMWRC marketing and program experts briefed visitors on everything from household-name programs to activities virtually unknown by the military community.
“I was very impressed with all the various Family programs,” said Audra Lamolli, a mother and grandmother of Soldiers who serves as president of the Blue Star Mothers of America’s chapter in the California foothills of San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles counties. “I’m not quite sure how to put it in words. I’m just very impressed.
“There is a lot out there that I will take back to California to my Army Reserve and all my moms to let them know that there is help out there for our kids and they are working on programs. It’s just incredible. There is a whole lot that I did not know about.”
Lamolli was particularly impressed to learn about Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, a 20-year-old FMWRC program that serves as a collective voice for single Soldiers. Through BOSS, single Soldiers can enhance their quality of life, contribute to community-service efforts, and assist in planning recreation and leisure events.
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| Audra Lamolli, president of the Blue Star Mothers of America's Foothills of California chapter in San Bernadino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles counties, discusses the Army Family Covenant with Sharon Bertschi of Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command's marketing division at the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 5 at Washington Convention Center. Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |
“I was very impressed with the part of the recreation that they do reach out to the community,” said Lamolli, who also volunteers for the Yellow Ribbon Integration program. “I am definitely going to be taking that back because I deal mostly with the Guard and Reserve in my area.”
Department of the Army BOSS representative Danielle Colson said “the importance of BOSS is that we keep our Soldiers engaged in the community. BOSS is about Soldiers taking ownership of each other and themselves and the way they live.”
As the Army marks the second anniversary of the Army Family Covenant, the Army prides itself on providing its Families a strong, supportive environment where they can thrive. It recognizes that the strength of our Soldiers comes from the strength of their Families, thus it is determined to build a partnership with Army Families that enhances their strength and resilience.
America’s Army faces unprecedented challenges as it enters the eighth year of war. Soldiers and Families have shown tremendous courage and resilience during repeated deployments. The Army is consistently discovering ways to better serve the Soldier and Families who have sacrificed so much for the nation.
“We are using feedback from Families to prioritize the services we provide,” said Kathleen Marin, director of installation services in the Office of the Chief of Staff for Installation. “We are maintaining the services and programs that Families have told us are working for them – these are the programs that are personally delivered and confidential. Our priorities are improving Child and Youth Services registration, Family readiness training, command support for Family Readiness Groups, funding FRGs, and communicating the availability of FRG resources to FRG leaders.”
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| Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command's Shaunya Murrill explains Web site ArmyOneSource.com to Secretary of the Army John McHugh at the Installation Management Command booth during the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 7 at the Washington Convention Center. Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |
Melissa Zollin, whose husband is a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas, lives on post and tries to take full advantage of programs offered.
“When my husband is deployed, I use the 16 hours of respite care,” she said. “We have a 3 ½-year-old daughter, so we did the free swimming classes that MWR offered. I did my first Sprint Triathlon, thanks to MWR, a couple of months ago. I know the basics, the things that pertain to me, which is horrible to say.”
Zollin said more military Families need to know what programs are available.
“I think it’s a work in progress that is introducing Families to a lot more resources, especially in a time of war when parents need that extra break,” she said. “We’re more on the Family Covenant side for the respite care hours and the childcare because it is so important for spouses to have that break and take care of themselves. That allowed me to not worry about my daughter because I knew she was safe, and that allowed me to have that break.
“I think it’s a work in progress, and I look forward to seeing what else evolves.”
Zollin said locating the programs can be an exercise in futility.
“The big problem at Fort Hood is there are so many programs and so many different Web sites that unless you know where you’re going, you’re never going to find places because Googling the stuff does not work because it will send you everywhere,” she explained. “You need to centralize it better because there’s so much going on. I do the 5Ks and 10Ks on post, and a lot of the Family members don’t know that Fort Hood offers those. They go off post and they’re paying $25 or $30 for these races. The MWR races are free and you get a T-shirt. You can’t beat it.”
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| Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Deputy Commander Col. Brick Miller gives Secretary of the Army John McHugh a tour of the Installation Management Command display at the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 7 at the Washington Convention Center. Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |
Enter ArmyOneSource.com, a Web site designed to help Soldiers and Families find child care, take care of their health, manage careers, relocate, and discover ways to exercise and travel that are available only to Soldiers, their Families and Department of Defense civilians.
“ArmyOneSource is an essential tool for delivering on the promise of the Army Family Covenant to help standardize Family programs and services,” said Gen. George Casey, Army Chief of Staff. “It recognizes the importance of keeping Soldiers and Families – particularly those who live away from installations – connected to the many services, programs and benefits available to them.”
“ArmyOneSource.com is the fingertips in the community that actually touches the geographically dispersed Soldiers and Family members,” FMWRC’s William Freeman said. “ArmyOneSource.com touches the unreachable by using connectivity, community partnerships and military facilities to reach Soldiers and Families in every region in each state.”
Lamolli said attending the AUSA conference was more than an eye-opener to the plethora of programs the Army provides for Soldiers and their Families. It touched her heart.
“Being the mom of a military Soldier, I have a heart of a mom,” she said. “But I have never seen through the eyes of a Soldier. Now, after being at the convention, I can actually see through my son’s eyes what the military is all about.
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| Sgt. Daniel Bullock raps about being Army Strong while members of Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers dance and sing along at the Installation Management Command display at the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 7 at the Washington Convention Center. Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |
“I learned a lot more about how to reach out to the community. When I go back to California – I’ve already been talking to some congressional people in Riverside County where March Air Force Base is located – I plan on networking people with the Army Family Covenant. Every branch of the military is right there, and I plan to take the covenant to them.
“Everywhere I’ve been during the past year it’s been veteran honoring veteran and Soldier honoring Soldier. My goal is to reach the community and bring out more awareness in the community to help our military, between the congressional community and the military.
“I’m just excited. My son is my Soldier and he’s my friend. Just being here has really been an eye-opener to his world, and it’s something I think more parents should be involved in. … I don’t think there’s any way I could put a value on the knowledge I gained, the things that I saw, the people that I met. I wish it wasn’t over.”
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| Edgar Castillo of the Installation Management Command's public affairs office assists a Soldier with a touch screen message from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston at the IMCOM booth during the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 6 at the Washington Convention Center. Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |
Spc. Zach Johnson of Fort Campbell, Ky., who has two songs on To The Fallen Records' CD compilations of Soldiers' music, performs at the Installation Management Command booth Oct. 6 during the 2009 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition at Washington Convention Center. Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs |