03/29/2023
The time has come to say goodbye and pass of the title to the amazing Tonya Towles, if you haven't yet please check out her bio here, she is awesome: https://msoy.afi.org/profiles/2023-tonya-marie-towles
I wanted to do a year in review as this was such a special journey for me.This year has been an amazing one and I want to thank everyone for allowing me to represent Fort Bragg. Before I was announced the base winner last year I lost my aunt that was like my mother, she had raised me and was my best friend. I didn't know if I would be able to take on this role as I got the news, I went to the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year Week a wreck. I cried and had to excuse myself a few times because I was so sad and going through so much. I had left straight from the funeral to be there.
It was tough, but each day I got stronger and kept at it and I knew that's what she would have wanted. One of my favorite moments of the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year Week was meeting Mrs. Maria McConville and Major General Jeffrey Milhorn. It was at the height of the rapid deployments at Fort Bragg and I was able to speak with with Mrs. Maria McConville about the rapid deployments of 2022 that were happening at the time, we talked about Fort Bragg and its spouses and the rapid deployments and how they were affecting the families at Fort Bragg and how mental health was important as COVID had wrecked the nation over the last few years and created so much seclusion and depression amongst our communities and how it was important to get back out there both mentally and physically.
She was so kind, smart and knowledgeable, also a fellow service member and reassured me that our soliders would be back soon and her and Gen. James C. McConville wanted to thank our Military families. We talked about how the majority of Fort Bragg was being deployed leaving so many young families alone and having so much uncertainty. I told her of the work I was doing in mental health to help families and we really bonded. It was a special moment to see how much Mrs. Maria McConville cared about our military familes.
I'm so happy to have been able to represent the military spouse, I went out there often around base and in town with a baby on my hip on a mission to help spouses, to fight for resources for the military spouse and family, working with military organizations and outside agencies to try to get more events and benefits for spouses and military families. I'm really proud of the work we (Other Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouses of the Year and I) did with mental heath, with the progress we made in helping others and providing resources and accessibility ro those in need we fought at both local and at the legislative levels for resources for the military and military family.
With the new 988 phone # and 211 phone number we have so many resources at our hands to help through a variety of situations. I was able to work with Airbnb and nonprofits to create a partnership to where, injured veterans and families receiving infertility on bases would be able to find lodging through Airbnb as well as victims of abuse. This is still in the very early stages and I will continue my work on this initiative until it has reached were it needs to and hopefully we can have this in effect for all of the bases.
I have worked hard through this year in the fields of metal health, resources sharing and the promotion of getting fun times in during the hard times as well the feilds of infertility helping others in resources such as IVF, IUI, Infertility resources, programs and funding and embroyee adoption. ( Please see more info about these topics here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1647157895744707&id=631941607266346&mibextid=Nif5oz ) If anyone is interested in any of these topics please reach out to me via my personal page and lastly I have worked hard to provide resources to our military service members in our community on here and through the resource slides (I have included the slides here that I made with the resource post as well, please share and help your fellow spouses and military children; if link doesn't work embedded the link at the bottom works. https://www.facebook.com/AfiFortBraggMSOY/posts/pfbid02SnRq4ewqKzZGV1wwZ26wpZMDru88ATp467VnYqMYVRjJZ7LwNqW2pkphrQxeVnrF
) and events and I hope that everyone continues to use those ecsp the ASYMCA, they are great and really offer help in every area that you may need I your life. I have posted pictures of the Year in review as AFI MSOU 2022. I again thank everyone so much for such a special year. Please treat Tonya, with the same love and kindness that everyone has treated me, she is great and will do so much over this coming year for you all. :)
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1383155202144979&id=631941607266346&mibextid=Nif5oz
