I am joining a team of amazing military spouses who have given back so much to our greater military community. I am honored to consider many of those in the MSOY family my friends already including the likes of Chelle McIntyre Brewer, Lori Bell, Mona Hatfield, Erin Whitehead, Megan Quinn Glynn, Crystal Cavalier, Laura Vanderwerf and Bianca Stralkowski (just to name a few and there are so many others)! These women are phenomenal and if you ever get a chance to talk with them, do! Listen, watch and learn by the example of citizenship and sacrifice they provide.
Military Spouse Magazine’s founder, Babette Maxwell, has created more than a title, and more than a magazine, but rather a welcoming community for all military spouses to do more and be more and to inspire more! This amazing platform she has created in the Military Spouse of the Year program empowers us to continue to do and give back to our peers and their families.
I am thrilled to be able to say that I get to work with some other outstanding individuals this year. They are my fellow branch winners: Jeremy Hilton (U.S. Air Force), El Brown (U.S. Army), Stephanie Geraghty (U.S. Marine Corps), Erin Strasburger (U.S. Navy), and Christine Gilbreath (U.S. National Guard).
Not only is Jeremy a fellow military veteran, but he has done some amazing things to support our exceptional and special needs families. I think he could quite literally move mountains if you ask him.
El Brown’s spirit just comes alive in all that I see about her. I haven’t even met her yet and I am invigorated by her passion for life and all that she does!
Stephanie’s fire emanates from her video as does her dedication to her program. She is quite obviously a go-getter! I think she can do so much with her energy and has already exhibited that she can.
Erin shares a lot of my interests and volunteer type of work so I know we will hit it off. Her compassion and dedication in her charitable work is quite admirable. I don’t know how she finds enough hours in the day to do what she does!
Last but certainly not least, Christine is a seasoned military spouse and also a fellow military veteran. She has given enormous amounts of her valuable time to work as a FRG leader and I am eager to chat with her about the Women’s Second Chance program and how I can help.
Please take the time to view all of their inspiring profiles and read about them and what they are doing to support our community at: http://msoy.milspouse.com/
These folks are doing big things to support to others while they hold down their respective homefronts. That is not an easy task! I applaud them all and I am humbled to be in their company. I cannot wait to join forces with them and learn from them and how we can support you all together as one awesome team!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Building Capacity
I just had a terrific conference call with the head of Building Capacity. I cannot wait to bring what I have learned to the masses and further support not only our local school district, but enhance what is already being done around the country.
Do you know if your school is receiving IMPACT Aid? Is your school benefitting from DODEA Grants? If not, contact me at jennifer@cgspouses.com and let's chat.
Do you know if your school is receiving IMPACT Aid? Is your school benefitting from DODEA Grants? If not, contact me at jennifer@cgspouses.com and let's chat.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Whirlwind of Opportunities
Life has been on fast forward these days. I am elated to announce that I was chosen as the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year. This is a tremendous honor and I cannot even put into words how amazing this is. I am humbled by the support I have received and by the work I am able to do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I am passionate about serving military families, and it's as simple as that. No matter where this journey takes me, I will continue doing what I do. Just to give you an idea of how I feel about serving military families, I wrote this out. I wanted to elaborate in my video, but because time is short and I was rather nervous on camera, I wrote it out. My video hits the main points and explains what I am already working on, in sum, but there is MORE. There is a lot of day to day, behind the scenes stuff that I don't share with folks, but here on this blog, I will elaborate more and more. But, first....here's what I envision about what I am doing now and what I intend to do as the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year and possibly the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year:
I am honored to be the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the year. I am proud also to be the founder of Coast Guard Family Organization and Military Spouse Mentoring. I created Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc., because Coast Guard families are often excluded Department of Defense programs like Military One Source as the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. My other main organization is Military Spouse Mentoring. This mentoring program was born from an idea to connect military spouses from all walks of life regardless of branch affiliation to help one another in the areas of education, career plans, parenting and navigating military life among many other things. But, this is not about me and what I have done. This is about our military families. This platform allows for those of us who volunteer our time a stronger voice to be heard for positive change and progressive impact.
Congressional budget cuts are on the rise and because of that military family programs face an uncertain future. I will continue to work hard to keep existing programs in tact and gain support for an all encompassing military family bill to further provide for military family benefits, which would also address military retirement. At this point, we need to cut through the bureaucratic red tape to save heartache and money and allow for creative financing.
Another thing I want to talk about is my education focus. With my own children, I have noticed shortcomings in public school curricula from state to state and this is happening across the Nation affecting a myriad of other military families. Therefore, I am working to gain support of standardization for K-12 curricula or at least providing viable alternatives for our military students who are often advserly affected, academically, because of PCS moves.
Similarly, I have felt the strain of transferring credits and limited collegiate financing options that so many other spouses face and I am supporting every effort including the Military Spouse Education Initiative to see improvements in this area. Likewise, I will continue to work to gain support for universal reciprocity of certifications, licensures for all spouses regardless of their branch affiliation.
As a military spouse, veteran, and parent, I understand many of the obstacles military families face on a daily basis, whether it is navigating TRICARE, dealing with the VA, special needs or reinteigration, etc. I am well versed in a number of these areas and what I haven't encountered, I seek to better understand to support my peers and the military family at large.
No matter where this journey takes me next I will continue serving military families. Thank you for support and please vote for the nominee that you feel would best serve us all as Military Spouse of the Year.
Here's my latest and greatest video (don't laugh too hard, I told you I was nervous, this is a HUGE honor and I get a little shaky when it comes down to it, after all, I have wonderfully, big, great shoes to fill!). I have been running into a lot of trouble getting a video to upload, but finally had luck today! 2012 MSOY FINALIST VIDEO
In other news, this week, I will be speaking with the folks at Business and Professional Women's Foundation about partnering our mentoring programs! Yay for www.militaryspousementoring.com. and I also have a scheduled conference with the folks at Building Capacity to discuss the K-12 education issues of our military students and what they are doing in working with Dr. Jill Biden and how I can help. This is all before Wednesday. Someone pinch me!
I am passionate about serving military families, and it's as simple as that. No matter where this journey takes me, I will continue doing what I do. Just to give you an idea of how I feel about serving military families, I wrote this out. I wanted to elaborate in my video, but because time is short and I was rather nervous on camera, I wrote it out. My video hits the main points and explains what I am already working on, in sum, but there is MORE. There is a lot of day to day, behind the scenes stuff that I don't share with folks, but here on this blog, I will elaborate more and more. But, first....here's what I envision about what I am doing now and what I intend to do as the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year and possibly the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year:
I am honored to be the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the year. I am proud also to be the founder of Coast Guard Family Organization and Military Spouse Mentoring. I created Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc., because Coast Guard families are often excluded Department of Defense programs like Military One Source as the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. My other main organization is Military Spouse Mentoring. This mentoring program was born from an idea to connect military spouses from all walks of life regardless of branch affiliation to help one another in the areas of education, career plans, parenting and navigating military life among many other things. But, this is not about me and what I have done. This is about our military families. This platform allows for those of us who volunteer our time a stronger voice to be heard for positive change and progressive impact.
Congressional budget cuts are on the rise and because of that military family programs face an uncertain future. I will continue to work hard to keep existing programs in tact and gain support for an all encompassing military family bill to further provide for military family benefits, which would also address military retirement. At this point, we need to cut through the bureaucratic red tape to save heartache and money and allow for creative financing.
Another thing I want to talk about is my education focus. With my own children, I have noticed shortcomings in public school curricula from state to state and this is happening across the Nation affecting a myriad of other military families. Therefore, I am working to gain support of standardization for K-12 curricula or at least providing viable alternatives for our military students who are often advserly affected, academically, because of PCS moves.
Similarly, I have felt the strain of transferring credits and limited collegiate financing options that so many other spouses face and I am supporting every effort including the Military Spouse Education Initiative to see improvements in this area. Likewise, I will continue to work to gain support for universal reciprocity of certifications, licensures for all spouses regardless of their branch affiliation.
As a military spouse, veteran, and parent, I understand many of the obstacles military families face on a daily basis, whether it is navigating TRICARE, dealing with the VA, special needs or reinteigration, etc. I am well versed in a number of these areas and what I haven't encountered, I seek to better understand to support my peers and the military family at large.
No matter where this journey takes me next I will continue serving military families. Thank you for support and please vote for the nominee that you feel would best serve us all as Military Spouse of the Year.
Here's my latest and greatest video (don't laugh too hard, I told you I was nervous, this is a HUGE honor and I get a little shaky when it comes down to it, after all, I have wonderfully, big, great shoes to fill!). I have been running into a lot of trouble getting a video to upload, but finally had luck today! 2012 MSOY FINALIST VIDEO
In other news, this week, I will be speaking with the folks at Business and Professional Women's Foundation about partnering our mentoring programs! Yay for www.militaryspousementoring.com. and I also have a scheduled conference with the folks at Building Capacity to discuss the K-12 education issues of our military students and what they are doing in working with Dr. Jill Biden and how I can help. This is all before Wednesday. Someone pinch me!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Appreciating Others.
My incredible husband isn’t one for taking credit for anything. He always makes sure his subordinates and teammates receive the accolades instead. He does what he does well because it means something to him. He doesn’t want the attention that comes with it though. The reward of a job well done, as Jonas Salk once said, is the opportunity to do more. And, because of the way he works, people are often providing my husband with more opportunities to make a positive impact on things. And, he does, because it’s just the kind of guy he is, but he won’t tell you that himself. Why?...Because it’s not about him.
I am a big believer in doing more. So taking Salk’s words and my husband’s example into mind, more often than not, I strive to raise those up around me. It’s the right thing to do. You can never appreciate someone too much. You can never say thank you enough.
I have a terrific team at Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc. and a great growing team at Military Spouse Mentoring. I cannot even begin to tell you how incredible my support is at United Against MST. So, here I want to take a moment to thank each one of the amazing folks who is a dedicated volunteer to these organizations. Without them, these groups would be nonexistent. I cannot run them by myself. I just have ideas and dreams and the people around me, supporting me, help me to make it happen. They are truly awesome volunteers who have as much faith in causes that I do and keep doing what they can to keep forging ahead.
CGFO, Inc. - Amber Broadway and Beth Koehler.
CGFO Advisory Board –Amy Goodpaster-Strebe, Chrissy Thompson, Rebecca Dorval, and Alisha Carter.
Military Spouse Mentoring – Amber Broadway, Beth Koehler and Amy Granillo.
United Against MST (on the web)– Susan Avila-Smith.
I am a big believer in doing more. So taking Salk’s words and my husband’s example into mind, more often than not, I strive to raise those up around me. It’s the right thing to do. You can never appreciate someone too much. You can never say thank you enough.
I have a terrific team at Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc. and a great growing team at Military Spouse Mentoring. I cannot even begin to tell you how incredible my support is at United Against MST. So, here I want to take a moment to thank each one of the amazing folks who is a dedicated volunteer to these organizations. Without them, these groups would be nonexistent. I cannot run them by myself. I just have ideas and dreams and the people around me, supporting me, help me to make it happen. They are truly awesome volunteers who have as much faith in causes that I do and keep doing what they can to keep forging ahead.
CGFO, Inc. - Amber Broadway and Beth Koehler.
CGFO Advisory Board –Amy Goodpaster-Strebe, Chrissy Thompson, Rebecca Dorval, and Alisha Carter.
Military Spouse Mentoring – Amber Broadway, Beth Koehler and Amy Granillo.
United Against MST (on the web)– Susan Avila-Smith.
We are only as strong as those around us. I am proud to include myself among the ranks of these remarkable women. There are SO MANY more supporting the organizations above, that you may not know of, behind the scenes; I would love to list them, but truly, there is not enough internet space.
In sum, I just want to say, I am a grateful person. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many philanthropic individuals who give their time and talents to support others—so many others they will never even meet. BUT, their work matters. I thank them and am thankful for them each and every day. Last but not least, I am thankful for my husband and his philosophy on teamwork. His appreciation for others and putting them before himself is something I truly admire.
My advice for this week: Thank someone. Make sure they know you appreciate what they do.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Being supportive v. Being the problem solver
Today, I heard some words about how important is to try to NOT heal the world’s hurt.
Volunteers and folks involved with charity are usually compassionate beyond a normal level--bleeding hearts, if you will. Compassion and kindness can be as simple as being there and letting others know you care. Still, many seek to fix all that ails those who come to them for aid. I exhibit this trait occasionally. To be honest, it used to take up a great deal of my time. I have been working on this for a couple of years. I am retraining myself to know that I can be supportive, but not solve everyone's problems.
What can be frustrating is not being able to succeed at fixing everyone’s problems all the time and that's how a problem can become bigger, because it starts adversely affecting more and more people. The key is realizing that you can be a good humanitarian by just listening and supporting.
I am not saying that you shouldn't try to help others. No, that's not it at all. What I mean is to assess the situation and see if the particular issue calls for you to be an ally or a fixer. There are some cases in which you might actually be able to help solve a problem or at least support an effort to work towards the resolutions. Knowing the difference in situations is the tricky part.
Not everyone is resourceful and not everyone feels as though their situation is fair; and, therefore, they are seeking a remedy.
Unfortunate circumstances happen. Sometimes it can be due to choices an individual makes or because of things out of their control. Regardless of why someone is suffering, supporters cannot be expected to fix it all. They also shouldn’t place that burden upon themselves. Oftentimes, the suffering individual doesn’t even want you to fix their problem. Still, you may recognize the predicament and you may jump to resolve it, as is your nature, as is mine.
In terms of supporting military families, this is a common issue. What I have found is that by making myself available to others, even if just lending an ear. Being supportive and hearing what someone is saying, is all it takes sometimes to help them regain their confidence and get themselves the resources they need to get things back on track.
I enjoy helping others. I feel it is my duty to give back in many areas. I have an obligation to serve. I also take pride in the fact that I am often sought out for advice and support. I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. I am learning to know that my inability to fix everything is not a limitation, but rather an opportunity to be simply an ally.
And, more often than not, that’s all it takes. If someone knows you are in the corner and you care, they can keep forging ahead. They can figure it out and fix it on their own.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
So swamped it's silly.
Great things happen all at once it seems!
For those of you who know I've found it difficult to break into the working arena in my new area, the great news is, I've been successful (finally!). I guess I'll have to update that latest HUN article. A terrific firm invested in me and hired me on for more than just contracted legal work that I have been doing here and there as a freelancer.
Great back-to-work-news aside, I am thrilled to say that, we at Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc. having been looking ahead at the redesign of our website. My wonderful friend, terrific supporter, and Vice President of the organization, Amber Broadway, is also our Marketing Director. We are looking at some nifty options to make the site more engaging for you and also to intertwine some language options. Most readers, in other Nations, and if you have your settings right on your computer can view us in their respective language, but we are hoping to bring a quick and easy translator to you right at your fingertips for those of you who don't have the options right there on your screen already. We are also bringing back our blog and will have some great stories and life experiences from varied CG spouses.
Military Spouse Mentoring is bringing on some contributing writers as well. Our newest writer will be Amy Granillo, a well-versed business woman who is also a military spouse. We are also communicating with various mentoring programs around the country to further develop what we already have in place.
This past week, I was contacted by a collegiate department, that collaborates with Dr. Jill Biden on education matters, about how we can possibly work together to merge the things I am doing to benefit our military children with what they are working on. Is that not amazing!?! To say that I am thrilled is a gross understatement.
What change do you want to see? How can I get you the resources you need and what can I help with? Let me know! I might not have the answer, but chances are, I might know someone who does.
For those of you who know I've found it difficult to break into the working arena in my new area, the great news is, I've been successful (finally!). I guess I'll have to update that latest HUN article. A terrific firm invested in me and hired me on for more than just contracted legal work that I have been doing here and there as a freelancer.
Great back-to-work-news aside, I am thrilled to say that, we at Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc. having been looking ahead at the redesign of our website. My wonderful friend, terrific supporter, and Vice President of the organization, Amber Broadway, is also our Marketing Director. We are looking at some nifty options to make the site more engaging for you and also to intertwine some language options. Most readers, in other Nations, and if you have your settings right on your computer can view us in their respective language, but we are hoping to bring a quick and easy translator to you right at your fingertips for those of you who don't have the options right there on your screen already. We are also bringing back our blog and will have some great stories and life experiences from varied CG spouses.
Military Spouse Mentoring is bringing on some contributing writers as well. Our newest writer will be Amy Granillo, a well-versed business woman who is also a military spouse. We are also communicating with various mentoring programs around the country to further develop what we already have in place.
This past week, I was contacted by a collegiate department, that collaborates with Dr. Jill Biden on education matters, about how we can possibly work together to merge the things I am doing to benefit our military children with what they are working on. Is that not amazing!?! To say that I am thrilled is a gross understatement.
What change do you want to see? How can I get you the resources you need and what can I help with? Let me know! I might not have the answer, but chances are, I might know someone who does.
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