Partners

It’s a well known fact: A fulfilling military family lifestyle is not possible without the encouragement, support and resources provided by both other military families and the many organizations devoted to helping us. The same can be said for the success of Blue Star Families.  Please read about our PARTNERS, check out their websites, and let them know how much you appreciate their involvement with BSF.

Blue Star Families is honored to have Hunt Companies as a valued partner. Founded in 1947, Hunt is an industry-leading real estate company dedicated to building value through development, investment and management—focusing on the core areas of public private partnerships, community development, real asset investment management, and multifamily housing. Hunt's dedicated team of property management professionals is committed to improving residential experiences for Service Members and their families.  Their mission is to ensure that members of the military who live in our communities have the highest quality of management and maintenance services available.

HISTORY® has a long-standing commitment to supporting veterans and military families, including the Take A Veteran to School Day and Thank A Veteran at Work campaigns which encourage communities to link with veterans and thank them for their service, past and present. HISTORY also works with non-profit organizations and agencies nationwide to raise awareness about the importance of supporting veterans from all walks of life. Visit www.veterans.com to learn more about these programs and related initiatives. 

Lifetime Networks is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming content that celebrates, entertains and supports women. Through its award-winning public affairs initiatives, the Company also advocates a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Blue Star Families is proud of have Lifetime as a donor and partner in our programs.

The Creative Coalition is the premiere nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilizing, and activating its members on issues of public importance, primarily public education, the First Amendment, and arts advocacy. Actors Dana Delany and Tim Daly serve as the organization's Co-Presidents.

This Emotional Life is a 3-part series on PBS that explores improving our social relationships, learning to cope with depression and anxiety, and becoming more positive, resilient individuals. The series premiers January 12th, 2010. Click here for more information.

Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) brings hope and self-esteem to children in need and their families by providing new clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books  and juvenile products donated by leading manufactures and retailers.

The vision for Be the Change, Inc. is an America in which every citizen aspires to that highest office, by working shoulder to shoulder with one another, by actively participating in the conversations, debates and elections which set public policy, by taking responsibility for the democracy we all share.www.bethechangeinc.org

United Concordia has almost 40 years of dental experience, and serves the dental health needs of nearly 8 million Americans worldwide. This includes the many military families across the globe under the TRICARE Dental Program and the Active Duty Dental Program. www.tricaredental.org

Military.com is an online news sources that started in 1999 to revolutionize the way the 30 million Americans with military affinity stay connected and informed. Today, we're the largest military and veteran membership organization — 10 million members strong. Military.com's free membership connects servicemembers, military families and veterans to all the benefits of service. www.military.com

What happens when you add a webcam to a bedtime story? You get Webtime Stories from 'Be There Bedtime Stories'! Just choose a book from our online bookstore and read the story in front of a webcam, as it displays on the computer screen. Our website positions the webcam recorded video of you directly onto each page of the children's e-book. The perfect way for Military Families to 'be there at bedtime' even when far apart. Preserve unique memories with Webtime Stories, accessible anytime, forever!

Service Nation is a component of Be the Change, Inc. The ultimate vision of ServiceNation is an America in which, by 2020, 100 million citizens will volunteer time in schools, workplaces, and faith-based and community institutions each and every year (up from 61 million today), and that one million Americans will annually volunteer for a year of national service. www.bethechangeinc.org/servicenation

The USO (United Service Organizations) has served as the primary bridge between the American people and America’s Armed Forces, delivering a unique combination of morale building, counseling, and recreational services to our troops and their families all over the world. http://www.uso.org  

National Military Family Association (NMFA) serves as the voice of military
families by educating military families concerning their rights, benefits and services available to them and to inform them regarding the issues that affect their lives. www.nmfa.org

Our Military Kids provides tangible support to the children of deployed National Guard and Military Reserve personnel and to the children of the severely injured service members through grants for sports, fine arts and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the time a parent is away in service to our country. www.ourmilitarykids.org

BAE Systems is a premier global defense and security company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support and services. http://baesystems.com

Blue Shield of California Foundation is committed to making health care effective, safe, and accessible for all Californians, and to ending domestic violence. The Foundation blends community-based philanthropy with strategic innovation to move the state forward. As one of California’s largest health philanthropies, the Foundation serves as a catalyst for change, promoting new solutions and bringing together a diverse array of stakeholders. http://www.blueshieldcafoundation.org/

Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is a national member association of the YMCA of the USA and works with the Department of Defense. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the ASYMCA has provided support services to military service members and their families for more than 140 years. http://www.asymca.org/

Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, The American Red Cross has been the nation's premier emergency response organization. As part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering.www.redcross.org

Military Spouse Magazine is the premier magazine and online forum specifically dealing with the needs of military spouses. Issues such as career, family, education, relationships, and deployment are addressed. Visit www.milspouse.com for more information.

The Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN) is a first-of-its-kind, nonprofit military employment program created by a military spouse and operated by military-affiliated MSCCN Team members. The MSCCN is dedicated to providing career opportunities and job portability for military spouses through a nationwide network of employers. www.msccn.org

The Real Warriors Campaign is an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families.In addition, DCoE established the DCoE Outreach Center, a 24/7 call center staffed by health resource consultants to provide confidential answers, tools, tips and resources about psychological health and traumatic brain injury. The Outreach Center can be reached toll-free at 866-966-1020 or via e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org. http://www.realwarriors.net

Operation Paperback is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that collects gently used books nationwide and sends them to American troops deployed overseas. Since 1999, volunteers have shipped over 1.1 million books to locations around the globe. Operation Paperback also provides books to: military and veterans hospitals located within the United States, USO centers at US Airport transit points, United Seamen’s Service centers, and libraries on military bases. As a benefit of membership in Blue Star Families, you can request a free shipment of books during the months of June and November. To request a shipment, visit Operation Paperback's website. 

Army Wife Network is the internet’s leading website for Army wives, by Army wives, providing “Interactive Empowerment” with Army Wife Talk Radio podcast, live chat feature, columns, Loving A Soldier blog, message boards, military shopping links, resource database, and social media galore. Their Field Exercise™ events are a grassroots seminar series for military spouses, with the goal of rejuvenating spouses. 

Health Net, Inc. Health Net, Inc. is a publicly traded managed care organization that delivers managed health care services through health plans and government-sponsored managed care plans. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company provides health benefits to approximately 6.0 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly referred to as “Part D”), Medicaid, Department of Defense, including TRICARE, and Veterans Affairs programs.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (T.A.P.S.) provides Good Grief Camps for children, seminars for adults, peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, case work assistance and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. TAPS services are provided free of charge through donations made by citizens, corporations and foundations. TAPS was founded in 1994 out of tragedy by bereaved military families and touched the lives of more than 30,000 people.

Express Scripts , Inc. one of the largest pharmacy benefit management companies in North America, is leading the way toward creating better health and value for patients through Consumerology(R), the advanced application of the behavioral sciences to healthcare. This approach is helping millions of members realize greater healthcare outcomes and lowering cost by assisting in influencing their behavior.

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (“C4ISR”), unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, airborne warning systems, ELINT systems, data links and military communications systems and radios. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services.

Battlefield Telecommunications Systems, LLC is a Columbia, Maryland-based, company that provides advanced, mobile telecommunications technology, software development and integration for the U.S. government and the private sector. Since the company’s formation in 2008, the BTS mission is to pioneer, refine and distribute unique technical solutions to state, federal, and commercial markets to achieve communications and information dominance. Through a combination of innovative technical products and integration, high-quality professionals, and first-rate delivery execution, BTS focuses on addressing customer’s immediate and critical operational needs.

For over six years, Onsite Health has been serving all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, making medical and dental readiness a priority.  Our self contained mobile units can be adapted to meet your health care needs and can be deployed within 24 hours nationwide. Our fully customizable operations can integrate our experienced staff and state-of-the-art equipment with military assets and personnel.

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $27 billion in sales, 3M employs about 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries.

CNS Response is an online neuroinformatic company, developing reference data and analytic tools for clinicians and researchers, based on a novel neurometric techology called Referenced-EEG^®. CNS Response offers an online database, developed by physicians, that enables qualified medical professionals to exchange objective, statistical neurophysiology-based data on individual patient medication response and outcomes. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR is a highly entertaining, yet hard-hitting narrative feature film that sheds light on the perils of post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) and the rise in suicide within the military, with the goal of generating the level of public awareness necessary to drive social action. Directed by award-winning writer/director K. Lorrel Manning and led by rising star Michael Cuomo, the film premiered in the narrative competition at the prestigious SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST Film Festival (SXSW) and was recently hailed by former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy as “…a great film that reminds us of our obligation never to forget." The anticipated release date is 11.11.11. For more information, please visit www.happynewyearfilm.com.