Blue Star Stories

Welcome to our blog where you'll find the stories from the lives of our Blue Star Families.

Nourishing Foreign-Born Military Spouses: Culturally-Inclusive Food Challenges

December 20, 2021

Nourishing Foreign-Born Military Spouses: Culturally-Inclusive Food Challenges The comfort of familiar foods is a connection to family and culture. Whether certain dishes are your favorites from childhood or the scent takes you back to a happy moment, the feeling goes beyond just a full stomach. Sharing a meal is a ritual, and foods are part…

Read More

Along for the Ride: Military Life is Hard; Blue Star Families Can Help

December 10, 2021

Along for the Ride: Military Life is Hard; Blue Star Families Can Help “The hardest part of being a military family is honestly having plans ruined,” said Felicia, a military spouse. Military families spend many moments apart, moments that many of us take for granted—holidays, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and even just family dinner. “We learn…

Read More

When Facing Time Apart, Blue Star Families is There to Bring Families Together

December 10, 2021

When Facing Time Apart, Blue Star Families is There to Bring Families Together Imagine being separated from your spouse for nearly two years because your job demanded it. Most couldn’t imagine doing so, but our military families endure these separations regularly. It’s hard on spouses who become single parents and can be excruciating for the…

Read More

Making the Most of Time Together

December 10, 2021

Making the Most of Time Together Deployments are hard on military families. For Dawn like so many military spouses she struggled to find ways to remain connected to her deployed husband. Eventually that struggle led to severe anxiety attacks.    Have you ever heard a civilian friend or family member vent about nights or weeks away…

Read More

Blue Star Parks DEPLOY Fellow Welcomes All Military Families to See Themselves in New Roles and Places

November 23, 2021

Blue Star Parks DEPLOY Fellow Welcomes All Military Families to See Themselves in New Roles and Places Meet Nicole. She’s a Navy spouse, mom of two, and the Blue Star Parks program DEPLOY Fellow for Blue Star Families. As a degreed librarian, Nicole is passionate about being a steward of information and resources and advocating…

Read More

Coming Full Circle: When Combating Food Insecurity Hits Home

November 18, 2021

Coming Full Circle: When Combating Food Insecurity Hits Home As a former military child, Army Veteran, Army spouse, and now caregiver to a wounded warrior, Tosombra “Tai” Kimes knows a thing or two about the unique experiences and challenges military-connected families face on a daily basis. She’s seen the good—traveling, learning about the world, and…

Read More

Staying Ahead of Holiday Stress

November 18, 2021

Staying Ahead of Holiday Stress By Kelley Klor, Amazon Food Insecurity DEPLOY Fellow   As we roll into the final stretch of the year, and plans are made for holiday meals and festivities, it’s normal to experience feelings of anxiety, grief, and seasonal depression. For many, myself included, November and December are definitely not the…

Read More

Foreign Military Spouses Face Unique Challenges; Blue Star Families Aims to Help

November 18, 2021

Foreign Military Spouses Face Unique Challenges; Blue Star Families Aims to Help Meet Anicia. She’s a Navy spouse and, thanks to the partnership with the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Blue Star Families’ Chicagoland DEPLOY fellow. We know that military families struggle to build new relationships after each move. In fact,  from the 2020 Military Family…

Read More

National Chapter DEPLOY Fellow Aims to Celebrate People and Create Connections

November 17, 2021

National Chapter DEPLOY Fellow Aims to Celebrate People and Create Connections Meet Quiana. She’s a Veteran Navy spouse, mom of three, and Blue Star Families’ National Chapter DEPLOY Fellow, a position made possible by USAA. With her husband having served 24 years in the Navy, Quiana is intimately aware of the sacrifices military families make…

Read More