1 / 11

Building Resilient Soldiers and Families

Building Resilient Soldiers and Families. Community Covenant. Purpose. To provide an overview of the Community Covenant program.

benny
Download Presentation

Building Resilient Soldiers and Families

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Building Resilient Soldiers and Families

  2. Community Covenant

  3. Purpose To provide an overview of the Community Covenant program

  4. “I want to say this to all of you:  You have done everything that has been asked of you.  The United States of America is proud of you.  I'm proud to be your Commander-in-Chief….Your families will always be a priority of Michelle's and mine, and remain on our hearts and on our minds.  And when our service members do return home, it will be to an America that always welcomes them home with the care that they were promised.” President Barack Obama To Military Members and their Families The White House, July 4, 2009 4

  5. Overview • Community Covenant is a formal commitment of support by state and local communities to Soldiers and their Families – Active, Guard and Reserve • Community Covenant fosters and sustains effective state and community relationships to improve the quality of life for Soldiers and their Families • Tailored to the local level, with leaders at both local and state levels participating in covenant signing ceremonies recognizing the strength of Army Soldiers, their Families, and the support of the local community. • Community Covenant signings have led to new programs or initiatives of support for Service Members and their Families • Allows the sharing of “best practices” to assist communities find ways to support, and for Soldiers and Families to find access to additional programs 5

  6. April 17, 2008 – program is launched with signing ceremony in Columbus, Georgia with Fort Benning community Signing Ceremonies • To date, 326 signing ceremonies in 46 states and 4 territories • Over 40 ceremonies scheduled, 200 planned into early 2010 • North Dakota League of Cities – all cities are signing Community Covenants (accounting for 184 of the ceremonies) 6

  7. Enduring Program • Beyond signing ceremonies – what’s next? • Increase support from community groups and volunteers • Help fill gaps and provide alternatives to Army services • Refining “Best Practices” – categories and criteria • Identifying new “best practices” and sharing across the Army • Criteria based on connection to Army needs • Linking community support to specific Soldier/Family needs • Programs that lessen stress of daily hassles and some chronic stressors • Finding new programs to support Guard and Reserve • Partnering with government agencies and nonprofit organizations • Community support – a key cog in support network to build resilience • Red Cross, VA, American Legion, private citizens making a difference • Community Covenant Web Site • provides linkages between Soldiers and Families with needed services

  8. Best Practices Categories and Examples • Deployed Soldier/Unit Support • Adopt a unit, Operation Gratitude, USO • Education Support • In-state tuition, tuition assistance, Interstate Compact • Employment Support • Hire a Hero, Spouses to Teachers, MilSpouse.org, Nurse Licensure Compact • Family Support • Our Military Kids, YMCA, Fisher House, Give an Hour, MCEC, NMFA • Financial Support • AER, USA Cares, American Red Cross, Operation Homefront • Surviving Spouses • American Widow Project, HUGSS, TAPS • Wounded Warrior Support • Building Homes for Heroes, Intrepid Fund, Challenge America

  9. Impact • Bring awareness to existing programs • Soldiers, Families and community members • Soldiers and Families needs are met • Reaching geographically-dispersed Soldiers and Families • Share ideas among communities • To get involved with an existing program • Replicate an idea in another community

  10. Web Site www.army.mil/community • National Programs • State/Local Programs & Initiatives • Event Calendar • Social Media Links • Covenant Inspired News • Resources • Frequently Asked Questions 10

  11. “I try to encourage every American to either call their National Guard unit, or their Army unit, or Marine unit in their area, and say what can I do to help? What that means is that when the families at home are taken care of, our soldiers can then concentrate and focus on the job they’re supposed to do.” Dr. Jill Biden NBC “Today” Show New York City, June 4, 2009 11

More Related