November is Military Family Appreciation Month
This Military Family Appreciation Month, we join the Department of Defense and the rest of the nation to celebrate the theme “Taking Care of Our Military Families.” At NMFA, this theme is at the heart of who we are—we’ve been dedicated to serving military families for 55 years. This month, we pause to reflect on the progress we’ve made and reaffirm our commitment to creating policy solutions and transformational programming that empower military families to thrive, now and in the future.
Service and Sacrifice
Military families make incredible sacrifices every day, often without recognition. Time and again, military spouses pause their education or careers to support their service member, while military children say goodbye to friends, schools, and sports teams. It becomes a cycle of starting over—rebuilding a sense of community with each move while managing financial and the emotional challenges of extended family separations.
“Having to explain to my two young kids that their daddy has to be away from us to support a mission never gets easier,” shared Alexandra Garrido, an Air Guard spouse. “Add on balancing a family budget across time zones and never being sure when you’ll hear back from your service member is just an added stress that no one outside the military really understands.”
Alexandra’s experience is oftentimes felt by spouses across all branches and ranks in the military. While this month celebrates families like hers, Alexandra added that the most important part of the military family journey is feeling supported.
“For many families, following their service member means leaving all that you know to follow them. Having to make new friends at each move, finding the appropriate offices on base that can help support you—it can get so overwhelming.”
Together We’re Stronger®
It is our mission to support military families, whether they are new to military life or closer to retiring from the service. We take great care in our advocacy work and in curating programming that meets the needs of today’s military families, including:
- Advocacy on the Hill, at the Pentagon, and in military communities around the world. We amplify the voices of families and actively draft, influence, and support legislation to protect and care for them throughout every stage of military life.
- Operation Purple® Camp, where military kids enjoy a free week of sleepaway camp where they can create long-lasting friendships, reconnect with their peers, and develop essential skills for long-term well-being.
- Bloom: Empowering the Military Teen, our unique teen program that gives teens a seat at the table. Bloom elevates the voices of military teens through storytelling, community, and the arts, helping military teens overcome isolation and strengthen their well-being.
- The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program awards funding four times a year to military spouses so that they may pursue their educational goals, fulfill their dreams of entrepreneurship, or alleviate the personal spending to maintain licensure or certifications.
Today’s military families may face different challenges than they did 55 years ago, but our commitment to identify and solve those challenges remains steadfast.
By: Angela Sablan Tenorio, Content Manager
