News

Target is Spot On!

Sheri Robey-Lapan — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:05:10 -0500

Thanks to Target’s Early Childhood Reading Grant, Books on Bases is on track to meet its goal of providing 100,000 books to military children by the end of 2012! Target’s Early Childhood Grant is designed to support schools, libraries, book clubs and non profit organizations with similar goals of encouraging children to fostering a love of reading and families to read together.

Since 2009, Books on Bases has been dedicated to supporting our military children and encouraging them to foster a love of reading. Military families face unique challenges and books can be used as a tool; providing the opportunity for escapism, stress-relief, self-expression and dialogue over thoughtful matters that may otherwise be difficult.

The first step in ensuring our children’s educational success is through reading. The ability to read shapes a child’s ability to learn, and literacy is the foundation that is needed to become a successful, life-long learner. Thanks to grants like this one, Blue Star Families is able to aid parents by providing quality books to families, military libraries and schools as well as military impacted schools within communities.

This grant will allow Blue Star Families to purchase books for national events later this year at USMC Base Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, USMC Base Camp Pendleton, Naval Station Great Lakes, Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston as well as local events at military installations around the world.

For information on Books on Bases please contact Tricia Ross, Program Manager at books@bluestarfam.org

Seeing it all on Paper

Brittany Barry — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:10:00 -0500

As most military spouses realize, once your husband goes to work or deploys, the finances suddenly fall into your lap. You buy the groceries, balance the checkbooks, purchase school supplies for all the little ones, and make sure the bills are paid on time. As prices continue to go up (especially at the gas pump!), mil spouses, including myself, find that financial responsibility suddenly takes on a new meaning.

Before my husband and I were married, he did not create a monthly budget. Instead, as a single Marine, he spent money on takeout and haircuts without a second thought. Things drastically changed when I stepped into the picture and he suddenly found that meal prices doubled and the electricity bill went up. After about four months of me paying the bills, he wanted to know where our money was going so we both sat down and decided to talk about finances. We created a budget that listed all of the expenses, such as water, electricity, and garbage that were BLE’s (basic living expenses), meaning they needed to get paid every month. Next, we went through bank records of the four months and budgeted how much we wanted to spend on take-out, date nights, groceries, and fuel for the entire month (breaking it up into 2 pay periods).

Seeing all of the numbers on a piece of paper made a drastic impression on both of us. Do you actually realize how much money you spend on Starbucks for an entire month?! It certainly adds up in the end and doesn’t seem like it at the time. Facing the numbers allowed my husband and I to decide where we wanted to cut back and where we could afford to indulge. Also, we set up a savings plan and each time he got paid the money immediately went toward bills and savings. One thing I certainly learned is that if we did not put the money into savings at the beginning of the month, it would get lost in miscellaneous spending somewhere in that 30 days.

Talking about finances with my husband took that burden off of both of our backs and allowed us to fully communicate as a couple. Money is often the number one reason for conflict in a marriage; so do not be afraid to approach the subject with your significant other. Being on the same page permits my husband and I to enjoy his hard-earned paycheck and plan for the future. I suggest making a budget and sitting down to examine all of the transactions that you have made within the last month. Seeing this on paper will make a difference and hopefully motivate you to be a bit more financially responsible.

By Brittany Barry

Check out militarysaves.org this week and put your money to work!

Joining Forces with Blue Star Families

Sheri Robey-Lapan — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:20:00 -0500

This post originally appeared on the White House blog. You can view the post here!

America has joined forces with Blue Star Families to honor the service of military service members, families and veterans by pledging more than 15 million hours of community service. Today, we celebrate as this volunteer movement reaches new heights. Thousands of individuals, families, groups, schools, colleges and major national organizations have pledged more than 15 million hours of community service in honor of our nation's military families, veterans and service members. Of the 15 million hours pledged, 13 million hours have already been served.

In 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched Joining Forces and reached out to Blue Star Families to create Operation Honor Cards, an initiative to support and honor our nation's military families with the goal of 3 million pledged service hours. The country’s commitment has been overwhelming and continues to exceed expectations.

Blue Star Families, in partnership with the American Red Cross, Service Nation, Points of Light Institute, and the Corporation for National & Community Service is the driving force behind this initiative.

Together, we celebrate the military family through acts of service – community service in honor of those who selflessly serve our country. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, long known for their support of the military and military families, both within our borders and around the world, have pledged millions of those hours in honor of those who wear different uniforms. Together with KaBOOM, we’ve built state of the art playgrounds at military installations on both of America’s coasts. The USO, for 70 years an ever-present supporter of the military community, has held book drives so that we can help ensure that the military child has the needed tools to learn and succeed. Operation Gratitude has pledged many service hours under the Battalion Buddy Program (launched last year) to make a difference in the lives of our country's youngest heroes. The stories are endless and remarkable.

Our Blue Star Families CEO, USMC spouse Kathy Roth-Douquet, hit the mark when she said, “As our country unites in community service, our active duty service members, National Guard, Reserves, veterans, and their families will hear and feel a strong message of support. Our military serves us by protecting our country, our freedom. In return, we will serve our communities.”

Brad Cooper, the Executive Director of Joining Forces, added, “We’ve reached a huge milestone… beyond expectations. We join forces and come together to say ‘we honor your service with ours.’”

To commemorate this grand achievement, Blue Star Families will highlight a series of organizations whose service pledge and active community service activities are examples of the exemplary commitment to our community and our military family. In the coming weeks, we will showcase the Girl Scouts of the United States and Boy Scouts of America, the Corporation for National & Community Service, the USO, KaBOOM, Hands on Network, Operation Gratitude, and Mission Continues, and conclude with the American Legion Auxiliary, combined with a new service pledge announcement.

Come join the movement. Every American can pledge their community service hours at www.honorcards.org

Inspired by the First Lady’s campaign for military families, the program aims to create an atmosphere of ‘shared service’ and a WWII sense of ‘all give some’ by encouraging Americans to perform service in honor of military families and veterans.

You can get involved right now through Operation Honor Card – an effort to encourage Americans to support our military families by participating in service projects to serve those who serve us. AtHonorCards.org, you can pledge hours of community service, find service projects in your area, and track your progress.

Sheri Robey-Lapan is the Senior Director of Programs of Blue Star Families.

Military Saves Week kicks off!

Molly Blake — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500

At a recent Blue Star Families/MOAA sponsored spouse symposium, more than 500 military spouses listened intently as a panel of employment experts from companies like Facebook doled out advice, job hunting tips, and more.

The gist: job opportunities exist everywhere – and military spouses are uniquely qualified for so many careers. And we are talking about high-paying, respectable jobs as writers, teachers, physical therapists, designers, and more. So check out a few tips about job hunting and land that weekly paycheck!

A few things to remember about why military spouses are WELL-qualified:

1) The volunteer work we all do is real experience. Serving on spouse boards and other military organizations can help fill employment gaps in your resume

2) Many military bases give spousal preference for jobs so be sure and check out your base human resources department

3) Tap into the vast network of military friends that you have made over the years and chances are – a friend knows of a job opening. Those connections will help your name rise to the top of the candidate list

4) Many companies have pledged to hire military spouses so check out Joining Forces (www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces )and other orgs like the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil/) for job opportunities specifically for milspouses.

5) Being a military spouse means you are capable of evolving, adapting, and supporting your family. Use those skills to your advantage!

By Molly Blake. Molly is the web editor for Blue Star Families and a freelance writer (www.mollyblake.com)

Men vs. Women: The Budget Battle

Liz Snell — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:42:00 -0500

Like many families, my husband and I are complete opposites in the world of finances. I would rather save and he would rather purchase. He has visions of owning a yacht, Maserati and all of the luxuries he can envision, tomorrow. I have the realization that goals are made to be obtained over a period of time with hard work needed along the way.

Over the past ten years of marriage our financial habits have slowly begun to migrate toward each other. I understand the importance of budgeting “fun” money and he understands the importance of a savings. One of the largest obstacles for the both of us in changing our mindsets was the understanding that our budget wasn’t that of some of the civilians we knew, or anyone else for that matter; each family is uniquely different.

I enrolled in some finance classes, specifically addressing budgeting, that were offered through our installations Semper Fit program; for me the largest take-away was hearing, “if you don’t pay yourself first no one else will.” After that we set up an automatic draft to transfer money from checking into savings the day after each pay day. We are “paying ourselves” and are never given the option to spend the money that is being set aside for our future; one of the wisest financial moves we have ever made. We also began to budget every expense, including “fun money.” For us, debit cards were to readily accessible to spend money that wasn’t budgeted; so we began to pull out cash each month for each of our expenses that weren’t automatic payments. This allows us to see what we spend money on, and makes us more aware when we make purchases.

Our first step to becoming more in agreement financially was to have a candid conversation regarding our personal financial expectations; our personal goals still slightly differ but we are able to communicate through them to set goals that we can both agree are obtainable. The other most impactful decision that we made was to live our life on our own financial terms, not by the terms of the people that surround us. I encourage you to have a conversation with your significant other: outlining both your short-term and long-term financial goals; as well as, your day to day expenses. Live your life according to your dime(s) not according to those that have quarter(s) around you.

Military Saves week is happening NOW! Check out the many financial resources at militarysaves.org and take charge of your financial future!

BIG WIN FOR MILITARY SPOUSE ATTORNEYS

Lori Volkman — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:43:06 -0500

There aren’t many military spouses who chose to practice law. Living in one location long enough to complete law school is difficult enough, but getting a new license for each move makes it arduous and costly. The bar exam costs thousands of dollars and takes many months to complete. Add in time spent looking for a job with every move, and you’re more likely to see the next set of orders before you see your own bar exam results. Many spouses give up on their dreams of pursuing legal careers.

But not Erin Wirth, a Coast Guard spouse and Administrative Law Judge. In order to keep her fifteen year career afloat she had to constantly change her practice areas, pass up longevity promotions, take multiple bar exams, and live apart from her husband – even when he wasn’t deployed. Likewise, National Guard Spouse Mary Reding persevered while her husband was on Active Duty to raise two children and keep her law practice afloat despite living in seven houses, three countries, and two states in seven years. “Sometimes we felt like we had to choose between our spouses and our careers,” admitted Wirth.

When the two women met online in June 2011, they lamented that law wasn’t a more portable career choice for them. Then they wondered: why shouldn’t it be? So they founded a military spouse bar association known as the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) to share their ideas about making law and the military a more compatible combination. They quickly started tightening unemployment gaps by persuading states to accept their existing licenses.

But not all states were receptive to the idea. There were concerns over preferential treatment, maintaining professionalism, and contrasting state standards. Some states recognize special rules for servicemembers, but not spouses.

And once again they wondered, “why shouldn’t they?”

State by state they enlisted volunteers across the country, but movement was slow until the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession agreed to sponsor a resolution that would urge states to adopt rules accommodating the difficulties faced by military spouse attorneys. At their delegation the first week in February, the ABA unanimously passed just such a resolution, putting a national spotlight on the unique challenges military spouses face in making legal career choices.

As if support from the largest and most influential professional organization for lawyers was not enough, the White House also released a report this week urging states to ensure licensing requirements for military spouses are reasonable. At the Pentagon Ms. Obama, an attorney herself, presented the report which urged all 50 states to pass legislation clearing the way for military spouse licensing no later than 2014. MSJDN co-founders Reding and Wirth were at the Pentagon for the announcement, and were honored that the legal profession and the MSJDN were specifically mentioned by the First Lady as a leader in military spouse licensing.

The day after the ABA vote, Idaho became the first state to approve a specific measure regarding military spouse attorney licensing. MSJDN is taking advantage of their cadre of attorney volunteers, and rule change petitions from their members are now being presented in Ohio, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, California, and New York, with additional proposals set to go out to as many as 20 more states in the upcoming months.

Wirth and Reding are optimistic that the states will respond positively, now. As Reding points out, “This benefits everyone. The military is fortified with strong family support, and service members are more likely to stay in the military if their spouse is happy with the lifestyle. And spouses are particularly dedicated to serving the needs of military families and vets at a time when these services are in great demand.”

*****************************************

Lori Volkman is a deputy prosecuting attorney in Washington State, the spouse of a Navy reservist, a writer, and a member of the MSJDN. The MSJDN includes spouses from all branches of the United States Military and is open to spouses of active duty, retired, and reserve service members, as well as other attorneys and community members who support their mission of eliminating barriers to the practice of law and making it a viable career option for military spouses. You can find more information at www.militaryspousejdnetwork.org

Photo: co-founders Hon. Erin Wirth and Mary Reding taken in New Orleans when Resolution 108 unanimously passed at the American Bar
Association delegation.

Mrs. McIntosh Goes to Washington

Janet McIntosh — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:28:11 -0500

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to represent Blue Star Families and attend the White House Community Partnership Summit. This summit is the first of its kind, designed by the White House Office of Public Engagement. The summit provides a chance for top government officials to meet with local leaders in several cities across the United States, twelve cities to be exact. During this meeting leaders can discuss different issues and policy areas that affect our local communities and the nation. The goals of the summit are relationship building, inside look into President Obama’s administration and policies, share ideas, and work together to make positive change. The White House has explained that their goal in creating this program is to have community leader’s work alongside administration officials to go beyond just talking about the issues affecting their communities and create commitments to develop new projects and partnerships.

The summit in Atlanta was held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building. In attendance were several top officials from various departments within our government. The following departments were represented at the summit:

The White House Office of Public Engagement

The White House Business Council

The Department of Agriculture

The Department of Commerce

The Department of Education

The Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Department of Labor

The Department of Transportation

The Department of Veterans Affairs

The Environmental Protection Agency

General Services Administration

The Office of Personnel Management

The Small Business Administration

When I arrived at the Federal Building, I was excited at the opportunity to represent Blue Star Families and connect with government officials to work on issues affecting our military community. I had to say that I was disappointed to see that the Department of Defense was not represented at this summit. As the summit began we had some opening speakers to include, the Office of Public Engagement for the White House, the GSA, the Secretary of HUD, Georgia Congressman, John Lewis, and others. The first to speak was Jon Carson from the White House Office of Public Engagement. One of the things Mr. Carson mentioned during his opening address was that this summit was not about politics and it wasn’t about the upcoming election. This summit was going to be about issues affecting our community and the nation. I was excited by his words. I had come ready to work! The next few speeches were a bit disappointing. I felt like all their speeches were about was how wonderful President Obama is and how much he has done for this country. That may be so, and I am not in any way trying to be negative towards our President, but I was here to work and focus on issues, not attend a campaign rally, and that was what I felt was going on for the next several minutes.

Once the opening speeches were concluded, the government officials in attendance had a few seconds each to come across the stage and introduce themselves to us. We then heard from the following people who wanted to highlight some areas on specific issues that have been facing the community and the nation:

Ari Matusiak and Rob Angelo (White House Business Council and Dept. of Labor) – They discussed job creation, economic recovery, and workforce development.

Jim Shelton III and Cynthia Pierre (Asst. Deputy Secretary for Education and Atlanta Regional Director) – They discussed educational excellence.

Anton Gunn (Regional Director, Dept. of Health and Human Services) – He discussed the Affordable Care Act and healthy families.

Ed Jennings and Bryna Helfer (Regional Administrator, Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, and Director, Office of Public Engagement at the Dept. of Transportation) – They discussed housing and community development.

These speeches were kept short but gave the audience some overall information on what the administration has been working on in these specific areas. The next part of the summit is what was called, “Open Space”. This is where attendees can come to the stage and let everyone know the issue or question they want to discuss. Each issue is then written down and assigned a time and a room or area in the building. Then each of the issues is hung on the wall and attendees can then decide which conversations or “mini meetings” they want to participate in. You could also request for specific officials or departments that were present to attend your issue’s session so they could provide answers to questions that pertained to that issue.

For example, one attendee went up and brought up the only military related issue to come out of the conference. He wanted to discuss providing soldiers and veterans with the opportunity to receive treatment for Traumatic Brain Injuries from a civilian facility, the Shepherd Center, and who have worked with soldiers, and feels they have found an effective line of treatment for TBI. The problem is that TriCare and/or the VA will not cover the cost gap to help these soldiers and veterans receive this treatment. He then specifically asked for someone from the Department of Veterans Affairs to attend so we could get some answers to our questions. Since we only have so much time in the day, attendees have to pick and choose which “conversations” they want to be a part of. I, of course, chose to sit in on the TBI discussion and I also choose to sit in on some education conversations since Blue Star Families has been a huge advocate of getting Georgia to sign on to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.

The first couple of conversations that I sat in on were about education in the state of Georgia. These issues ranged from budget discussions to building the morale of teachers, to questions about the new set of standards that Georgia is adopting for the upcoming school year. I was able to strike up a small discussion on behalf of military families in Georgia and the need for Georgia to sign on with the Interstate Compact. I was successful in gaining some valuable contacts for Blue Star Families from the state Department of Education and help was also offered by the Georgia State National Guard. Overall, these conversations were very successful, and I saw participants feeling very pleased that these government officials were listening to them and discussing new ideas and approaches to improving education for the children of Georgia and the nation.

The final conversation that I took part in was on the Traumatic Brain Injury topic. At this meeting I met Mr. Dean who had brought this issue to light at the beginning of the summit. He explained that he had been working with people at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA to help soldiers and veterans who have suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury. He went on to explain that they have found an effective course of treatment for our soldiers and veterans, to include support programs for their spouses, but the problem is that TriCare and/or the VA will not cover the cost gap to allow soldiers and veterans to receive this treatment from their center. He also explained that they receive financial help from Home Depot in support of this program but there is still a gap.

Unfortunately, no one from the Department of Veterans Affairs showed up for Mr. Deans meeting, so we were not able to get any answers from the VA or come up with some solutions to this problem. The Shepherd Center would like to become a valuable resource to the VA and our soldiers and veterans.

After the final meeting, we gathered back in the main room and had some closing speeches made. The final speech was the highlight of the day and a real treat. Martin Luther King III came out to speak to us. He most definitely gave the best speech of the day, explaining that this is how we make the dream a reality…by getting involved and making a difference in our community and in our nation. I left this summit inspired by the purpose of such a program. What a great opportunity to meet with people that normally you would have to chase to get in contact with. There is room for improvements as there is in any program that is brand new and just starting out, but it is definitely a program that should stay, regardless of what happens in November. The people need a summit like this to allow them to actively participate in their government and be an important part of change and success in their communities.

Janet is the wife of SSG McIntosh. She is mommy to two beautiful children, Alina and Aiden. Janet began her military journey 15 years ago as a soldier herself, serving 2 years in the US Army active duty and another six years in the Army Reserves. She is currently working on finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and will graduate in June 2012. Janet spends a lot of her time volunteering in her community and has devoted her Army Wife Life to making this journey easier for other spouses. Janet knows a life in the military is full of ups and downs but also knows there can be many rewards as well. She is eager to pass on her knowledge and experience to other spouses. Janet is the Georgia Chapter Director for Blue Star Families and a member of the Army Wife Network Team.

Q &A with Kimberly Seals-Allers, Author of The Mocha Manual to Military Life

Pamela Stokes Eggleston — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:34:15 -0500

Q &A with Kimberly Seals-Allers, Author of The Mocha Manual to Military Life

To recognize Black History Month, I want to convey and express some of the complexities of being a black woman involved with the military—as a spouse, veteran, caregiver or active duty service member. Many of us have distinct and challenging needs as they relate to military life. All too often cultural competence is a forgotten part of the equation. On February 15, I spoke with Kimberly Seals-Allers, author of The Mocha Manual to Military Life – A Savvy Guide for Wives, Girlfriends and Female Service Members (Amistad/HarperCollins; 2009) to get a better sense of this undertaking and to discuss the differences in the military experience for the black community.

Kimberly, what brought you to this? Why did you want to write a book specific to military life and women of color?

I thought of this as part of a dummy series for women of color. Black and Latina women need extra support and have unique experiences. In The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion into Profit, I took into account the business and entrepreneurial disparities among black women and focused on how to work around these roadblocks to become successful. In The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy, I wanted to help black and Latina women understand what they were up against—significant birth disparities, health care and parenting concerns—that are often a burden for them and their families.

In The Mocha Manual to Military Life, I wanted to recognize that African Americans are disproportionally represented in the military, and that black women involved with the military have unique cultural views and values. We know that the military is a microcosm of the larger society and to that end, racism exists within the military. We wanted this guide to focus on the resources and help available, particularly as it pertains to post 9/11 military life for African American women to help make it a little easier.

Why is The Mocha Manual to Military Life the “must read book for any woman of color who’s married to the military or thinking about it”? Why is the book “particularly for black and Latina women affected by military service”?

There wasn’t a book that had a “girlfriend” feel to help black women in the military. There are lots of things the military doesn’t tell you, and even more so when you are dealing with an institution that lacks the cultural understanding to address the needs of black and Latina women. Women of color need to have someone say “hey girl, this is what you need to do. This is where you need to get your hair done and your hair products. This is where you can find an AME church to attend.”

What feedback – positive and negative—have you received from African American women and Latina women about the book’s tips and suggestions?

We received so much positive feedback! Folks were saying “Oh my God, thanks so much. I wish this book was around when my husband was deployed.” Other women stated that within the black community, this book has been a godsend because it directly addresses their cultural concerns as they deal with the military life they chose.

How can the book help in terms of the Iraq war ending and the drilling down of conflict in Afghanistan?

The Mocha Manual to Military Life has a comprehensive chapter on reintegration and relationship issues. We focus on all of it: domestic violence, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the hopes that black women can recognize the signs and get the help that they need. In Chapter 11, Dealing with the Unthinkable (p. 299), combat stress, PTSD, TBI, depression, substance abuse and domestic violence are all covered and resources to seek help and assistance are provided.

Kimberly, I particularly liked the mind, body and spirit discussion about healthy eating and taking care of your hair and skin, as well as where yoga is mentioned. Did you find in your research for the book that African Americans are monolithic in terms of their spirituality? Were your book subjects all Christians who went to church regularly, for instance?

Most of the women we interviewed were Christian but were very open to other avenues. And I went there! I don’t believe in doing something helpful if you are not going to go there. I talked about needing to visit a therapist. Oftentimes in our community we think it is enough to attend church and then everything will be fine. Church is great, but it is also a good idea to seek help for mental health issues that may surface. In our community, we have a hard time addressing mental health and domestic violence, so I wanted to make sure we thoroughly covered it.

In terms of using alternative methods to deal with stress, yoga is a low cost choice. You can pop in a DVD and pull out your mat at home to do it. Yoga “opens up your heart and opens up your ears. That means you listen more deeply and have more compassion (p. 56)”.

There are some new statistics that say that the amount of people getting married is decreasing, and we know that the divorce rate is high. What do you think are the implications of this for the African American community, particularly those in the military?

Many of the women we interviewed had an “aha” moment where they were trying to be the “strong black woman” and have everything done in the house while their service member was deployed. But when the husband returned home, there was nothing for him to do. She felt like “I did it all so you don’t have to worry about it” but he felt like perhaps he wasn’t as needed. Striking the delicate balance of allowing your man to feel needed is critical.

Black families are under so much stress and pressure right now with the state of the economy. Divorce rates are increasing, and in the military it is truly felt. I hope that The Mocha Manual to Military Life can foster healing and a coming together for black families; specifically, that these military families can experience relief and understanding during these trying times to support them in their marriages and their relationships.

by Pamela Stokes Eggleston, Director of Development for Blue Star Families

--- --- ---

Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, a leading authority on issues relating to mothers of color, author of The Mocha Manual™ series of books and founder of www.MochaManual.com, a daily parenting and lifestyle destination and blog for African American moms and moms-to-be. A leading consultant, commentator and public speaker on the African American motherhood experience, Kimberly is also a fiercely committed and highly respected advocate in the fight to reduce the high infant and maternal mortality rates and increase the low breastfeeding rates in the African American community.

In 2011, Kimberly was named an IATP Food and Community Fellow, funded by the Kellogg Foundation, with a mandate to increase awareness and engagement around “the first food”—breast milk, in vulnerable communities. An award-winning journalist, Kimberly Seals-Allers most recently served as a senior editor at Essence Magazine. Previously she was a reporter and staff writer for Fortune magazine, and has also worked at the New York Post and The Times of London.

The Mocha Manual to Military Life is part of the Mocha Manual Series: other manuals include The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy and The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion into Profit. Find out more at www.mochamanual.com.

Seattle based Military Family Job-Seekers - check out the Hire America's Heroes career day

Molly Blake — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:33:00 -0500

Hire America's Heroes Career Day

Date: Feb 24, 2012

Location: CenturyLink Field in Seattle

Seattle based Military Family Job-Seekers - check out the Hire America's Heroes career day!

If you are a veteran of any  conflict, currently-serving and preparing for transition, National Guard and Reserves, Spouses, Wounded Warriors and their Care-Givers, Blue Star and  Gold Star Family Members, you may attend this great event for FREE! Visit with representatives from Alaska Airlines,  Allied Waste, Amazon, Boeing, Comcast, IBM, MetLife, Microsoft, Port of  Seattle, Puget Sound Energy, Starbucks, State Farm Insurance, TriWest  Healthcare Alliance, Volt Workforce Solutions and Weyerhaeuser .

Several industry specific panel  presentations will be offered throughout the day. Attend to become  acquainted with industry best practices.  Some highlights include:

Partake in a  short videotaped interview, view the tape and receive professional feedback  and coaching on your strengths and style. To be scheduled, be sure to click the box next to "Videotaped Practice Interview Session" on the "Agenda" page  when you register H ERE.
10 Career Coaching Stations to assist you with Resume Review and  Exhibitor suggestions for your career search. These will be located in  various places on the exhibition floor.   Register Now!

Contact us with your questions: info@hireamericasheroes.org or 425-301-5445

DETAILS:

HAH Career Day 2012 - CenturyLink

Friday, February 24, 2012 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Pacific Time)

CenturyLink Field, Seattle
800 Occidental Ave S.
Seattle, Washington 98134

206-381-7655

Military Spouses Face Licensing Challenges

Stephanie Himel-Nelson — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:00:25 -0500

New Report from Treasury and DoD Cites Suggests Best Practices to Help Military Spouses Pursue Careers

Report supports Blue Star Families 2010 Survey conclusions and recommendations.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 15, 2012

Washington, D.C. — Today, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden joined Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, to announce the release of a comprehensive report, “Supporting our Military Families: Best Practices for Streamlining Occupational Licensing Across State Lines.” The report, from the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Department of Defense, outlines a roadmap for states to streamline professional licensing requirements for military spouses. Today's report strongly supports the conclusions and suggested action items from Blue Star Families' 2010 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, which indicated that state governments and licensing organizations should ease licensing requirements for military spouses.

“As Mrs. Obama and General Dempsey mentioned today, military spouses don't want a hand out, they just want an even playing field,” said Blue Star Families Director of Research and Policy, Vivian Greentree, Ph.D. “This is a very tangible way for state governments to support military families. The suggestions outlined in this report, if implemented at the state level, will have an enormous impact on the financial security of our military families.”

Previous research has indicated that successful recruiting and retention of the active duty force relies in large part on the extent to which service members and their spouses experience both job satisfaction and contentment with life in the military. In Blue Star Families' 2010 Military Lifestyle Survey, cited by today's report, 49% of military spouses reported that being a military spouse had a negative affect on their ability to pursue a career. Nearly 20% of military spouse respondents had faced challenges with maintaining professional licenses across state lines.

About the BSF Military Family Lifestyle Surveys

Blue Star Families' groundbreaking research on military families, veterans, and service members examines stress levels and factors, communication methods, feelings on community support, and much more. With this information, Blue Star Families develops meaningful, effective programs for military family members and makes suggestions for responsible allocation of funding. Past survey results have been cited by the White House, the First Lady and Congressional members, as well as presented to the Department of Defense and the first-ever joint session of the Senate and House Military Family Caucuses.

Visit http://bluestarfam.org/survey to read the results from the 2010 survey. The 2012 survey results will be released May 9, 2012, in conjunction with the Congressional House and Senate Military Family Caucuses.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families (http://bluestarfam.org) is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Membership includes military spouses, children and parents as well as service members, veterans and civilians.

Media requests may be directed to:

Stephanie Himel-Nelson at stephanie@bluestarfam.org or 703-472-6292