377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
5/14/2014 - KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- A Team Kirtland member was selected as the Air Force Materiel Command Key Spouse of the Year.
Beth Moran, wife of Master Sgt. Andy Moran of the 377th Security Forces Squadron, was selected for her efforts with the Kirtland Key Spouse Program. She said she is honored to receive the award, but shares credit with others team members.
"Everything I've done was done with the help of others," she said. "I didn't accomplish anything solely on my own. It was with the help of the command, unit leadership and other key spouses that the Key Spouse Program here has been successful."
Moran said her primary focus was in assisting the spouses of deployed members. She and other key spouses collected paperwork and information on all support services available throughout base.
"A lot of spouses don't know exactly what is available to them," she said. "We wanted to help them have that information, as well open lines of communication between unit leadership and deployed spouses."
She also established other initiatives, including the creation of regular social functions, where spouses could come together to share concerns and strengthen relationships. She also raised $9,500 to support care packages for deployed members and gift baskets for families with newborns.
Ray Burton, who manages the Key Spouse program for the Airman & Family Readiness Center, said that Moran is a terrific ambassador for the program.
"She works hard and earned this recognition," he said. "She helps people through some trying times, particularly when a spouse is deployed."
The Key Spouse Program was developed as a quality-of-life initiative out of concern for the Air Force families. Key spouses are appointed by the commander in an official capacity. They receive three days of training on areas such as suicide awareness, resiliency and sexual assault prevention and response.
The appointees are a volunteer resource that operates within a military framework to enhance unit family readiness, establish continuous contact with spouses and families, and encourage peer-to-peer wingman support. It aims to allow for effective communication and for issues resolution at the grassroots level.
Moran said the military is a different lifestyle, and separating it from your personal life is difficult. She said when she first joined the military community, she wanted to know how things worked and what was available, and she turned to key spouses. She likes being able to "pay it forward" now.
Her primary advice to military spouses, especially those new to the military, is to be active in the community.
"Get involved," she said. "The more people you know who are going through the same experiences and who understand your challenges, the easier it becomes."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment