Military Families – Attention Please!

While at the MSOY Town Hall at the beginning of the month (I know- lots to catch up on, working on that), Moni Jefferson (AMSE Agency) said the following words “Just post the thing. Just post it.” I wrote that down. And so here I am, just posting the thing…

I’ve been quietly working on something behind the scenes for a while now; a dream initially I had several years back that I’m now actually starting to build out and work through. That dream relates to how we support and connect with community during transition periods (specifically PCS transitions). 

It’s still in progress, so I’m just quietly working in the background, but I wanted to continue that work by listening (especially to spouses and families at other installations or in other branches). I created a short survey to better understand what people are wanting, experiencing, needing, or missing during those transition times. 

All my fellow military families and spouses (or if you’re not, but you’re friends with one please send this to them)…PLEASE consider spending 5-10 minutes of your time sharing your thoughts/experiences/hopes on this survey. Then PLEASE share it with your own community and with your friends. This is a public post- simply click share and ask. This survey is completely anonymous and will feed into and shape a much larger framework to hopefully create some change. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! 

Survey link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2ICRfBJoNIAWwD-DEs60tSNzw8lfw1gPF3tXef0DqYPiAVw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

acuppacosyLeave a comment

Military Spouse of the Year Nomination

Screaming, crying, throwing up. 

I’m proud to announce that I was nominated for Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the year.

Anyone can vote, you simply need to register at msoy.afi.org and you will be asked to use ID.me to verify (this is a super easy process and allows voting to remain secure). You can find my profile linked below (VOTE HERE)

This is such an honor and if you choose to vote for me, I’m beyond grateful!

I want to share what one of my pillars in this lifestyle is- community. Our family tends to choose the smaller, more “remote” installations. Hohenfels, Fort Drum, Fort Wainwright. Installations that require that sense of community more so than others. Spouses rely on that community for everything from friendship to information  to an emergency contact for registration. 

At Fort Drum I worked on building community through our SFRG program, PTO, and local installation programs (think ACS, library, school). Here at Fort Wainwright I’m working on building that sense of community through our Fort Wainwright Community Spouses Club, a thriving book club, and our installation USO. I am also working with our broader Fairbanks tourism office to create opportunities for spouses to learn about the area upon arrival to Fort Wainwright. 

Something I want to amplify is the resources and community for military spouses, especially when it comes to “remote” locations. Military spouses are really good at “taking care of our own”, but we also need to be backed up by resources. In some cases those resources exist and are just not communicated well, in other cases those resources do not exist in the location, if at all. 

Fort Wainwright/Interior Alaska is so beautiful and amazing, but can also be incredibly harsh. From the actual geographical location, to the weather, to the makeup of families and service members. On top of that, you can prepare for everything, and still not realize what -45 with 4 hours of daylight really is like. OR when items that you need for your household take a week plus to arrive by shipping (that is if they are able to ship in the first place). In these cases community, resources, and information is EVERYTHING. From learning the ropes, to pulling each other out of the depths of winter, to just passing knowledge along. I am trying to push forward in different areas to see what is lacking in these areas and either find or create what’s needed. 

This nomination is a massive honor. I’m truly grateful to even be considered, especially when reading the profiles of those nominated beside me. The opportunity to both grow the community here locally at Fort Wainwright, as well as network and gain knowledge from others to bring back to our community is incredible. 

What’s next? Well, voting closes February 1. The base level winners are announced on February 9. Those selected to move forward to the branch level will be announced on February 19 (which is where some of this voting plays a role). 

 I plan on continuing to work and advocate for the spouses community- something that we can continue to build on and grow. I really appreciate all the support and incredible people I’ve met over the past 14-15 years. I’m simply honored to be nominated alongside so many wonderful spouses who do hard and often unseen work. 

VOTE HERE

acuppacosyLeave a comment