HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. —
Greater than 54 % of Air Power members are married, which presents a specific want for communication and continuity to increase between models and members’ spouses.
So as to meet this want, the Air Power rolled out the Key Partner Program service-wide in March 2009.
“The Key Partner Program is important to the Hanscom group 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 heart beat of the group. They be sure households are related the place in any other case we could not have the ability to.”
Key spouses are usually army partner volunteers who’re appointed by unit commanders to operate as conduits of knowledge between the organizations and different spouses. This system’s mission is to, “present info 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 info on group assets, volunteer alternatives and referral companies to exterior businesses.”
The Hanscom Key Partner Program is managed by Christina D’Amico, Army and Household Readiness Heart group readiness guide.
Key spouses are invited to wingman days, stand-ups and commander calls.
“Usually, households can really feel overlooked or not sure of the place to seek out assist,” stated D’Amico. “That is very true in intervals 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 with the intention 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 group.”
The commander added the alternatives to attach are limitless with the assistance of the Key Partner Program.
For these concerned with changing into a key partner, officers counsel contacting their spouses’ first sergeant or commander.
The unit commander then nominates the person to grow to be a key partner and connects them with the M&FRC for six hours of obligatory coaching. Key spouses are educated on set up assist businesses – what they do, the place they’re situated and the way to contact them. Additionally they obtain coaching on the way to strategy 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 dwell on and round Hanscom, however there are additionally representatives from geographically separated models.
“The present key partner roster has people as distant as New York,” stated D’Amico. “Moreover, we’ve a number of recruiting key spouses scattered all through New England. That is useful for army households who could not reside close to the set up however would love the assist and comradery that comes with being a army household.”
For additional info, go to https://www.hanscomfss.com/airman-family-readiness or name 781-225-2765.
