Funding the Gap
One of the big milestones in any deployment is the “halfway” mark.
You’ve made it to the downhill slope! It’s a time to pause and celebrate.
A group of spouses from four deployed squadrons in Lemoore, California banded together to plan an epic “all hands” halfway celebration for the kids in their air wing.
After years of limited gatherings due to the pandemic, the base agreed to let these families host the party at a park on base.
The families planning and attending the halfway celebration would belong to CAG-17, many of whom had also participated in the nearly 11-month quarantine and deployment in 2020 and 2021 on board USS Nimitz.
Military families need communities with shared experiences.
Funding roadblocks
The group of about 20 spouses planning the event represented families of various military ranks across the four squadrons in the air wing.
With a green light from the base, they got organized and started planning a celebration, but quickly ran into some roadblocks.
Organizations on base wouldn’t donate anything “because there won’t be service members present.”
Yes, that’s the point; they’re deployed.
Companies couldn’t donate food or entertainment for the kids because these spouses didn’t have a federally-recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization behind them.
No one could or would fund their efforts, which is a common problem for military spouses.
These organizations often fund events for service members and, by extension, their families. There just wasn’t a “pot of money” to support an event like this.
Social events offer needed support for spouses but usually go unfunded.
An unfunded ‘mandate’?
There’s a general consensus in the military that spouses fill significant, maybe even necessary, roles, but not such important roles that they warrant funding.
In some instances, the military even requires these roles but does not pay for them, as in the case of a Navy Ombudsman (source).
An Ombudsman serves as an official link between the families and the commanding officer. Their role can be critical during a deployment, and requires training, attendance at meetings, and regular communication with the commanding officer.
An Ombudsman might work the equivalent of a part time job in service to the command but receive no pay.
VFA-137’s Ombudsman and one of her kiddos enjoying their ‘halfway’ celebration.
Unfunded social support
Various other spouses step up to volunteer their time (and money) to serve military families.
Spouses volunteer to run command Family Readiness Groups (FRGs), which organize meetings, holiday events, and enrichment opportunities for families.
Often, a commanding officer’s spouse will step up to lead a unit’s families, serving as an informal point of contact.
These spouses represent a cross-section of rank.
They communicate with families, support the Ombudsman, serve as a “cruise director” for social events, and step in to help with all kinds of things - bringing meals to families, hosting events, organizing command-wide get togethers, etc.
Support, community, and connection make a huge difference for families going through deployments, but groups that foster those connections aren’t usually funded.
Spouses pay to host or attend social events out of pocket, which can create a case of “haves” and “have nots” when it comes to support, with officers’ families often receiving considerably more social support and opportunities than enlisted families.
Military families need days off, too, especially during a lengthy deployment.
An easy ‘YES!’
When one of the spouses from the planning group in Lemoore reached out to us about the roadblocks they ran into and the possibility of funding part of their halfway celebration, it was an easy and enthusiastic yes.
They provided us with a budget for vendors, entertainment, food, and fun for the kids; and we provided funding so they could put on an amazing celebration and not worry about coming out of pocket for it.
Thanks to your donations we could step in and fill the gap.
The money freed up this group of leadership spouses to execute the event and provide an afternoon off for a bunch of deserving military kids and their parents (mostly moms!).
Celebrating halfway
The spouses hired a DJ, ordered food for all of the attendees (over 200 people), rented several bounce houses, had face painting, and provided snack bags for the kids to assemble and take home.
They got the supplies to paint homecoming signs to display on base when the squadrons return.
It was a hit!
These events can be frustrating and difficult to plan - especially when you’re having to “potluck” every social event or come out of pocket to plan or attend.
The funding from The Ready Room Project freed up the organizers to get what they needed to make it a special day for these deserving families and let go and enjoy it themselves.
These spouses were already donating so much time. They didn’t need to also donate money to put it on.
This is just one way The Ready Room Project is providing “Happy Help” to military families.
Supporting families
Sometimes support for “out-of-reach” opportunities comes in the form of camp scholarships for military kids.
Sometimes it looks like giving military spouses the funding they need to execute the amazing things they’re already doing for families.
Either way, our goal remains the same: to support, celebrate, and thank active duty military kids and spouses for their service.
Want to help? We’re working on something fun for this fall and we’d love you to join us.
Make sure you join our roster so we can keep you in the loop!
Further reading: