Blue Star Stories
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…
Read moreBlue 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…
Read moreBlue Star Summer Camp Hits Home for Military Families
Moving is one of the most stressful events for the average person. But our military families move a lot, and often, without much notice — most moving every two to three years, on average. Packing up that much to uproot to a new location often lands families far from friends and extended family, leaving them…
Read moreManaging MilLife Stress with Spiritune
The reality is, being a military family can be hard. It’s often unpredictable and that uncertainty can end up causing a lot of stress and anxiety, especially for those families also navigating a deployment or long term separation. In fact, according to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, nearly half (47%) of active-duty family respondents…
Read moreMilitary Spouse Turns Career Challenges into Opportunities
Military Spouse Turns Career Challenges into Opportunities Did you know that 20% of military spouses are unemployed and, according to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, 67% of employed military spouses are underemployed? That’s a major problem because spouse under/unemployment is not only creating financial stress for families, but also mental and emotional stress. Adam,…
Read moreAdjusting to Life as a Military Connected Caregiver: Finding a Community of Support
Adjusting to Life as a Military Connected Caregiver: Finding a Community of Support There are 5.5 million military and veteran caregivers in the U.S. today. Two of every five veteran family respondents to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey (43%) reported they were an unpaid caregiver; a quarter of these caregivers (27%) are caring for…
Read moreStarbucks Raises Its Hand Year-Round to Support & Connect MilFams Through Their Sacrifices
Starbucks Raises Its Hand Year-Round to Support & Connect MilFams Through Their Sacrifices Separation is an inevitable part of military life. Between deployments, temporary duty assignments, and moves, military families are constantly saying goodbye to loved ones—whether it’s their service members, or their friends and family. In fact, time away from family is consistently a…
Read moreFacing New Battles: Becoming a Military Connected Caregiver
Facing New Battles: Becoming a Military Connected Caregiver Did you know that roughly 200,000 service members transition out of the military annually?(1) A military career is unique in that an entire culture and lifestyle is created, enveloping service members in a very different way of life. It can be difficult to transition out of that…
Read moreMeet Jenny: #BSFBeatCOVID19
Meet Jenny: #BSFBeatCOVID19 This past year has been filled with many tough, emotional questions that were left unanswered for months on end. How long will this shutdown last? Will my kids ever return to school in person? Is daycare safe for my toddler? When can I see my family again? When you add in a…
Read moreMeet Jacob & His Family: #BSFBeatCOVID19
Meet Jacob & His Family: #BSFBeatCOVID19 Meet Jacob. He’s a 16-year-old military kid. Like so many, Jacob and his family have had a hard year adjusting to the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially when it came to school, the switch to virtual learning proved to be very difficult. “Like most military families,…
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