Blue Star Stories
Nourishing Foreign-Born Military Spouses: Culturally-Inclusive Food Challenges
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 moreAlong for the Ride: Military Life is Hard; Blue Star Families Can Help
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 moreWhen Facing Time Apart, Blue Star Families is There to Bring Families Together
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 moreMaking the Most of Time Together
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 moreBlue Star Parks DEPLOY Fellow Welcomes All Military Families to See Themselves in New Roles and Places
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 moreComing Full Circle: When Combating Food Insecurity Hits Home
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 moreStaying Ahead of Holiday Stress
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 moreForeign Military Spouses Face Unique Challenges; Blue Star Families Aims to Help
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 moreNational Chapter DEPLOY Fellow Aims to Celebrate People and Create Connections
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 moreOpening Up Opportunity: Technology Careers for #MilSpouses
Opening Up Opportunity: Technology Careers for #MilSpouses Meet Leslie. She’s a Navy spouse, mom of four, and, thanks to a partnership with Salesforce, she joined Blue Star Families’ team as the Technology DEPLOY Fellow. When Leslie met her active-duty Navy husband and they started their family, she decided to take a step back from her…
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