National Capital Region DEPLOY Fellow Focuses on Mentorship and Opportunities for Children
Meet Tonya. She’s a Navy spouse, mom to three school-aged boys, and recently started serving as the DEPLOY Fellow for Blue Star Families’ National Capital Region Chapter, a position made possible by Lockheed Martin. While Tonya found her lifelong partner in high school, middle school was not quite as fun. She struggled to fit in…
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Military Moves Prove Stressful for Families with Children on IEPs
Did you know that 600,000 military and veteran families move with the military annually? While experiencing new locations is often cited as a highlight of military service, moving so often also presents real challenges, especially when you consider the family members who move with them. The reality is that today’s modern military is a…
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Blue Star Museums Open Up Opportunities for Military Families
The approaching summer season looks a little different for many military families, compared to their civilian counterparts. While civilian families might be planning their family vacation or what summer camp to attend, military families are often anticipating orders that will tell them where they are moving next and how quickly. Oftentimes, families are given…
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Army Veteran Focuses Retirement on Building a Brighter Military Future for her Children
Meet CT. She’s a mom of two and recently retired from the Army after serving 24 years. What’s next on her journey? She’s taking on the important role of Racial Equity and Inclusion Director for Blue Star Families, managing the DEPLOY Fellow Program under Blue Star Families’ Racial Equity and Inclusion Initiative. Why step into…
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As PCS Season Continues, Many Military Families Are Given Mere Months to Prepare
Military life is unpredictable. Between frequent moves, long-term separation due to deployments and training, and work schedules that aren’t family-friendly; many military families struggle to find stability, which compromises their mental well-being. In fact, according to the 2019 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, lack of control over military career and the uncertainty that accompanies military life…
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Creating a Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Families to Serve
Did you know that military families move 3x as often as their civilian counterparts, most moving every 2-3 years on average? Starting over every few years leaves many military families struggling to create connections. In fact, according to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, only a quarter (27%) of active-duty family respondents feel a sense…
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Blue Star Families Aims to be a Home Away From Home as Military Families Prepare to Move
Moving frequently is an inevitable, but difficult, part of life as a military family. In fact, 600,000 service members and their families, 400,000 active-duty and 200,000 veterans, relocate with the military every year. While moving is an exciting adventure, it also means leaving support systems, friends, jobs, and the overall comfort of truly belonging to…
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A Focus on Military Children’s Mental Health: August’s Story
In the last few years, mental health within the military community has importantly been at the forefront of our conversations. The challenges of military life—the deployments, frequent moves, and overall unpredictability—don’t only create stress for service members and spouses. Military kids feel the impacts as well. While we often recognize military children for their resilience…
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Father’s Day: An Invitation to Connect
It’s that time of year again where we take time to honor Fathers and all they do. But what is the perfect gift for Dad? The question has plagued Mom’s and kids for decades. As a fellow Dad, I can admit, we can be pretty complicated to buy gifts for. We often don’t know…
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