Programs

Welcome to Blue Star Families Programs! 

Our goal has always been to support, connect and empower military families.  How do we do this?  Blue Star Families is chapter-based.  Our Chapter Directors organize events to support military families through programs like Books on Bases and Operation Appreciation; connect the civilian community to area military kids and spouses thanks to Blue Star Museums and Blue Star Theatres; and empower spouses to live a productive life through Blue Star Careers. 

Below are snapshots of these programs. Take a look at what Blue Star Families is doing for our military community.  There is more to be done for our milfams, especially now. Check back with us to see how you too can be a part of our larger family and support the ONE percent of our nation who serve.  Welcome to Blue Star Families.  

BLUE STAR THEATRES

Blue Star Theatres launched in September 2012 to great support from more than 90 theaters nationwide.   Inspired by Blue Star Museums, this exciting initiative will offer discounted or complimentary admission to all military personnel, their families and veterans.  The program also includes workshops and playwriting classes to veterans, job postings and casting notices on military bases. 

Blue Star Theatres is a partnership among the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) with Leadership support provided by the MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families.

BLUE STAR MUSEUMS

Blue Star Museums is a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Joining Forces, MetLife Foundation and nearly 2,000 museums across the country.  

Blue Star Museums is a program that offers free admission to museums for all active duty, National Guard and Reserve military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  We are in our third year of this incredible program and have chronicled many of our members' visits on our blog and the NEA's blog.  If you need some inspiration, look no further than Blue Star Museums.

Kids are certainly not left out of this gig either!  The WAY COOL CREATIVITY CONTEST gives kids the chance to win cash and prizes.  

BLUE STAR CAREERS

Blue Star Careers is the hub for all our employment programs. It's incredibly robust and features our ground-breaking peer to peer spouse networks where healthcare, education and entrepreneurial spouses can gather to empower, connect and advocate for themselves across three career fields:  Blue Star Entrepreneurs, Blue Star Health Care Professionals and Blue Star Educators.   The Blue Star Spouse Employment Toolkit will translate volunteer experience into relevant resume points, while Blue Star Scholarship can help defray the cost of pursuing higher education.  And finally Blue Star Jobs provides new opportunities for military spouses through hundreds of thousands of available jobs.  Powered by Odesk, it will allow military spouses around the world to find work, cultivate business relationships, and grow their careers.

OPERATION APPRECIATION

Operation Appreciation allows members of the community to support our military families by sending them cards expressing heartfelt thanks, solidarity, or good old-fashioned encouragement. The writer can choose to write a card to a parent of a military member, the spouse and family of a military member, the child of a military member, or a veteran of the armed services. Click here to learn more. To print the Operation Appreciation Information Packet click here. 

BOOKS ON BASES

Does your base library or kids’ school need some new books? Well, YOU could deliver them with the help of BSF and Disney. Learn more about Books on Bases. But first you can watch the video above and see just how impactful Books on Bases is for our military children! 

MILITARY FAMILY LIFESTYLE SURVEY

When you’re a member of Blue Star Families you’ll be the first to be invited to share your thoughts and experiences with those in positions of influence who want to know how to help military families.  

Read more about our Military Family Lifestyle Study conducted each year since 2009. The results of our most recent survey will be  released in May.  

Our surveys are widely cited - even quoted by the First Lady - and presented at the request of the Speaker of the House to a military family roundtable that included members of the Congressional Women's Caucus as well as the White House Office on Women and Girls. 

MILKIDZ CLUB

Navigating the waters of life as a milfam can be tricky - and we all need a co-pilot.  It's no different for our children. Introducing MilKidz Club!

MilKidz Club is like a wingman for every single military child. MilKidz Club is all about cool events, free tickets, and tons of other happenings that all show our military children some well-deserved appreciation.  We've set up a blog so our sons and daughters can share their experiences and post videos and photos too. Visit and join today!

OPERATION HONOR CORPS

Honor service members and their families with service of your own. 

Select a volunteer opportunity in your community to honor service members, veterans, and military families.  (Examples: mentor a child, clean up a park, plant a garden, donate to a particular charity, make a meal for a neighbor in need, etc....)  If you're already volunteering in your community, you can dedicate your service to honor the service of the military community. 

We are constantly working with our Partnerships to bring a variety of easy and fun opportunities to our BSF Chapters.  If you have any great ideas, especially if they meet the needs of military families near you, please let us know by emailing sstevens@bluestarfam.org