HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. —
Greater than 54 p.c of Air Drive members are married, which presents a selected want for communication and continuity to increase between items and members’ spouses.
With the intention to meet this want, the Air Drive rolled out the Key Partner Program service-wide in March 2009.
“The Key Partner Program is significant to the Hanscom neighborhood as a result of key spouses are a part of the management triad,” stated Col. Taona Enriquez, 66th Air Base Group and set up commander. “They’re the heartbeat of the neighborhood. They be sure that households are linked the place in any other case we might not be capable to.”
Key spouses are sometimes army partner volunteers who’re appointed by unit commanders to perform as conduits of data between the organizations and different spouses. This system’s mission is to, “present data and assets to army spouses, supporting households in efficiently navigating all through the army lifecycle,” in response to the program’s guidebook.
Key partner mentors present data on neighborhood assets, volunteer alternatives and referral providers to outdoors businesses.”
The Hanscom Key Partner Program is managed by Christina D’Amico, Army and Household Readiness Heart neighborhood readiness guide.
Key spouses are invited to wingman days, stand-ups and commander calls.
“Typically, households can really feel unnoticed or uncertain of the place to seek out assist,” stated D’Amico. “That is very true in durations of deployment, transitions, everlasting change of station strikes, life adjustments, and people enrolled within the Distinctive Household Member Program.”
The set up additionally hosts a month-to-month newcomer’s briefing, and key spouses have the chance to attend the occasion as a way to join with new members and their households.
“Key spouses are the face of the brand new households coming in,” stated Enriquez. “They’re the issue solvers who assist us handle challenges we in any other case wouldn’t know existed and are the ears and voice of the neighborhood.”
The commander added the alternatives to attach are infinite with the assistance of the Key Partner Program.
For these taken with changing into a key partner, officers counsel contacting their spouses’ first sergeant or commander.
The unit commander then nominates the person to develop into a key partner and connects them with the M&FRC for six hours of necessary coaching. Key spouses are educated on set up assist businesses – what they do, the place they’re situated and the way to contact them. In addition they obtain coaching on the way to method and report incidents associated to sexual assault, home violence and suicide prevention. After the preliminary coaching, key spouses obtain quarterly persevering with training coaching.
One factor that makes this system distinctive at Hanscom is that volunteers not solely reside on and round Hanscom, however there are additionally representatives from geographically separated items.
“The present key partner roster has people as far-off as New York,” stated D’Amico. “Moreover, now we have a number of recruiting key spouses scattered all through New England. That is useful for army households who might not reside close to the set up however would really like the assist and comradery that comes with being a army household.”
For additional data, go to https://www.hanscomfss.com/airman-family-readiness or name 781-225-2765.
