Blue Star Stories

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

Meet Jamilah: #BSFSurvey

July 20, 2021

The past year has opened the eyes of many Americans across the nation and inspired important, while sometimes difficult, conversations about the issues of systemic racism that have long corroded our republic and its values. Our military community is certainly familiar with these issues. In fact, according to Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle…

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DEPLOY Fellow Aims to Ensure All Military Families are Financially Fit

July 16, 2021

Meet Brittney. She’s a Marine Corps spouse, mom of two, and the Financial Wellness DEPLOY Fellow for Blue Star Families, a position made possible by the support of J.P. Morgan Chase. Why financial wellness? Well, you may be surprised to learn that many military families experience a great deal of financial distress. In fact, 39%…

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Craig Newmark New York Tri-State Chapter DEPLOY Fellow Encourages Volunteerism to Create Belonging

July 15, 2021

  Meet Adriene. She’s an Army spouse, mom to two young girls, and recently started serving as the DEPLOY Fellow for Blue Star Families’ Craig Newmark New York Tri-State Chapter. Adriene and her husband have a long history with the military. The two were military dependents as kids, and Adriene comes from a dual military…

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Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Families of Color Fight for Access to Quality Education

July 14, 2021

Military life comes with a unique set of challenges for all families—from deployments to frequent moves, time away for training, and the general unpredictability of not knowing what lies ahead, just to name a few. But what happens when your family is thrown an extra curveball? For example, when you have one or more loved…

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Blue Star Summer is Heating Up!

July 14, 2021

While we’re in the height of summertime, the warm temperatures can have your family trying to find ways to chill out and avoid the hottest hours of the day. Luckily, Blue Star Families has plenty of cool ways to enjoy the dog days of summer! Blue Star Summer Camp It’s not summer without camp, and…

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More Opportunities for Military Families to Connect Through Reading in Tennessee

July 13, 2021

Did you know? According to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, while 46% of active-duty service members feel a sense of belonging to their local civilian community, only 27% of active-duty families feel the same. The survey illustrated that, while military families feel supported and appreciated, that isn’t translating to belonging. That’s a major problem…

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Finding Career Success through Fellowship

July 9, 2021

Black Lives Matter is opening the eyes of Americans across the nation to issues of systemic racism that have long corroded our republic and its values. Our military community is certainly familiar with these issues. Communities of color—especially African Americans—are chronically under-represented throughout the veteran and military family support space. In fact, according to Blue…

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Macy’s sees you, and they salute you!

July 8, 2021

Being a military family comes with exciting adventures and wonderful benefits. But it can also be stressful. Deployments, long working hours, and additional time away for training are just a few of the difficult things military families have to navigate. As a result, those challenges, to name a few, affect the mental health and well-being…

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Here’s How Macy’s is Empowering Military Families This Summer

July 8, 2021

  Military families often struggle with time apart not just when service members are deployed or away for training. The day-to-day job demands and schedule can make it difficult for families to find time to connect. In fact, 47% of active-duty family respondents to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey reported “time away from family”…

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