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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More Progress Needed to Create and Inclusive Community for those who Serve
It wasn’t that long ago that LGBTQ+ military families were explicitly banned from serving in the military, and eventually only allowed to serve while closeted. In the 1940s, your sexual orientation and/or gender identity were seen as a mental illness, disqualifying you from service. As recently as 1982, military policy banned gay and lesbian individuals…
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Balancing Act: Military Families Struggle to Juggle it All
Modern family structure commonly includes two working parents. Financial stability often requires both parents to work, but beyond that, employment outside of the home can bring mental fulfillment as well. Military families today are no different. However, they face unique challenges based on their lifestyle that make accomplishing a dual income household especially challenging. So…
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Professional Organizer and Military Spouse Shares her Tips for Tackling Any Move
Military life is difficult because it’s unpredictable. From frequent moves and long-term separation due to deployments and training, to long and demanding work schedules that aren’t family-friendly, it can be a challenge to find balance. All of those uncertainties put a lot of pressure on military spouses, and make it difficult for them to find…
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Shining a Light on Female Service Members and Why it Matters
Female service members bring talent and diversity to the military. We need women in the military to maintain a strong, capable All-Volunteer Force. But did you know a staggering 48% of female active-duty service member respondents to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey have experienced gender discrimination in their unit? This presents a real problem…
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Blue Star Community Changemaker: Meet Cassie
Blue Star Community Changemaker: Meet Cassie Delivered by CSX Pride in Service Meet Cassie, a member of Blue Star Families’ Dayton Chapter and Advisory Board President. She’s an Air Force veteran who served over 20 years. Throughout her career, Cassie understood the importance of being confident—confident in having a seat at the table, and confident…
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