Blue Star Stories

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

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Finding Unique School Solutions to Support #MilKids

August 21, 2021

  Meet Shevaun. She’s a navy spouse and mother of four. Shevaun is no stranger to the fact that military life can be unpredictable and challenging. In 13 years of active-duty service, her family has moved six times, faced three deployments, and one year-long unaccompanied tour. Despite all they’ve endured, 2020 presented their biggest challenge…

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First-Time Blue Star Museums Participant, Mexic-Arte Museum, Shares Inclusive Space for MilFams to Learn and Connect

August 16, 2021

First-Time Blue Star Museums Participant, Mexic-Arte Museum, Shares Inclusive Space for MilFams to Learn and Connect “Art matters because it is the one true great connector in a world that seems to be very unconnected.”  – Josh Groban  In many ways, military life is extremely fractured. Life is broken up into blocks of time─two-year command,…

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Lessons Learned: How Schools Can Support Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Military Children

August 13, 2021

  You may be surprised to know that nearly a quarter (24%) of active-duty family respondents to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey report their family was enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), a program that is intended to ensure family members’ special needs are considered during the assignment process. Most active-duty spouses…

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Celebrate American Artists with Blue Star Museums!

August 11, 2021

August is synonymous with a lot of exciting things — most notably back to school, pool time, and family fun! But did you know August is also American Artist Appreciation Month? What better way to celebrate these observances than to get the family together to visit some of the amazing Blue Star Museums across the…

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Blue Star Community Changemaker: Little Free Libraries

August 10, 2021

Blue Star Community Changemaker: Little Free Libraries Delivered by CSX Pride in Service The modern American military is an incredibly diverse group of individuals—many are married and have children. Ensuring that dependent children have support and opportunities to thrive is a major concern for those who serve. In fact, the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey…

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Dayton Area Military Spouses Tackle a Lesson on Influence

August 4, 2021

  Did you know that, according to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, one in three (34%) active-duty family respondents reported they know nobody in their local civilian community well enough to ask them for a favor? Most civilians don’t realize that military families move into their neighborhoods with zero support and scarce job prospects…

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Manage Your Stress and Worry with a Free Course

August 2, 2021

Military-connected families have so many responsibilities, from the day-to-day work to figuring out plans for things like PCS moves, activations and deployments, shifting childcare, employment insecurity, and more. Many times, military family members face added stress and worry as they try to make sure everything runs smoothly and to take care of everyone in the…

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Thank You For Being A Friend: A Celebration of Military Friendships

July 28, 2021

Friend: a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. It’s a simple definition for a word that carries so much weight. Military families, maybe more than any other group of people, know the immeasurable value of a friend. With service members leaving frequently for deployments and training, and…

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Building the Confidence to Find a Career that Works

July 24, 2021

Did you know that, according to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, nearly half (42%) of all active-duty service members reported that spouse career opportunities are a factor in their preference for choosing a new duty station? Why would that be a concern? Because with 20% of military spouses currently unemployed according to the 2020…

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