December Highlights of Blue Star Families’ Campaign for Inclusion DEPLOY Fellows

Diving into her talent as a speaker, 富国银行 Housing Insecurity DEPLOY Fellow Kimberly Gold kicked off the month with a TedxManitou Springs talk. She was also featured on NPR ’s “All Things Considered,” discussing the plight of housing insecurity concerning military families.? For the coming year, Kimberly has something exciting brewing: a #podcast , which will feature subject matter experts on #housing insecurity.?

Marla Bautista , Lockheed Martin Food Insecurity / Welcome Programs DEPLOY Fellow, has focused her efforts on solution-driven advocacy for military families facing #foodinsecurity . Her goal is to not only educate, advocate, and provide, but to also include military families of all backgrounds in the conversation surrounding food insecurity and its effects on military readiness. Lockheed Martin has helped provide the resources needed to connect these efforts to families who need it most.?

Craig Newmark New York Tri-State DEPLOY Fellow Zanade Mann, M.S.Ed shares, “One thing about me: I love connecting with women. There’s something about building strong communities of empowered women that inspires me to keep going.” Blue Star Families, in partnership with Starbucks, invited Zanade to chat (over coffee, of course) with #milspouses from West Point. She enjoyed sharing moments of joy with other members of the community.

Robert R. McCormick Foundation Chicagoland DEPLOY Fellow Jerilyn Lim-Leonard attended “A Trip Around the Globe Multicultural Fest.” This event gave military families the opportunity to share their culture and heritage with one another through displays of art, music, and food.?

Salesforce DEPLOY Fellow Angela M Alford is working hard again this month to grow her tech talents. She shares, “The work I do is to support our communities by building out targeted emails. These emails help to get our members engaged with Blue Star Families and each other.”

Lydiah Owiti-Otienoh , J.P. 摩根 Chase Financial Wellness DEPLOY Fellow, was joined by Leslie Coffey (ACP), Laura Torres (Blue Star Families), Kelly Grivner (Hire Heroes USA), and Chandee Ulch (Moving with the Military) for a “Money Mondays” webinar to discuss military spouse un/underemployment and financial impacts. Watch the replay.

USAA Tampa DEPLOY Fellow Mickia F. wants to help Veteran spouses find ways to give back this holiday season. If that’s you, discover how to stay connected and show your support: https://veteranspousenetwork.org/event/cookies-cocoa-holiday-cards/ .

USAA San Diego DEPLOY Fellow Andrea R. Unzueta got into the holiday spirit by assisting with a cookie exchange alongside Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic in San Diego. She shares, “Being able to interact with fellow military spouses, and provide for this Christmas event, was a great way to close off the year. Santa and Mrs. Claus even made a surprise appearance.”

Lockheed Martin National Capital Region DEPLOY Fellow Laura Abubekr is showing love to our military #teens this month. She shares, “I’m excited to host a teen bowling night because it’s a way to give back to them. They make sacrifices when they experience PCS, deployments, and more. Therefore, this is a way to honor them with a night of fun. They deserve the recognition and more for all that they do as military teens.”