Blue Star Stories
Building the Confidence to Find a Career that Works
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…
Read moreMacy’s Provides Dining Room Makeover For Navy Family
You will often hear that military life builds resilience. Between frequent moves, long deployments, and unpredictable training schedules creating more time away, this life certainly knows how to throw curveballs. At times, even the most seasoned military families struggle to navigate the waters. Just how much of an impact does the stress have? According…
Read moreNational 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 every day. In fact, during those 24 years of service, Quiana’s…
Read moreMeet Jamilah: #BSFSurvey
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…
Read moreDEPLOY Fellow Aims to Ensure All Military Families are Financially Fit
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%…
Read moreCraig Newmark New York Tri-State Chapter DEPLOY Fellow Encourages Volunteerism to Create Belonging
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…
Read moreExceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Families of Color Fight for Access to Quality Education
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…
Read moreBlue Star Summer is Heating Up!
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…
Read moreMore Opportunities for Military Families to Connect Through Reading in Tennessee
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…
Read moreFinding Career Success through Fellowship
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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