Deploy Fellow Monthly Newsletter

USAA San Diego Fellow Andrea R. Unzueta would like to remind you that as we approach the last few months of school, the Blue Star Museums program starts soon. This partnership allows free entry to museums for members of Blue Star Families. It is an educational and fun way for the family to get out for the day. After all, we all continue to learn every day no matter our age.?

What a busy month! Jerilyn Lim-Leonard , the Robert R. McCormick Foundation Fellow, attended the Kohl Children's Museum Play Attention event where military and Veteran families enjoyed exclusive access to enjoy the museum, meet with other military families, and connect with several military and Veteran service organizations. Her favorite highlight: taking a "stroll" down the Robert R. McCormick Foundation "Main Street"!

She also took her first trip to Washington D.C., where she completed an intense three-day leadership program at Georgetown University. What an experience! It was a privilege to attend and a pleasure to share with past and current DEPLOY Fellows

Black History is American History! Last month, USAA Fellow Mickia F. had the pleasure of touring MacDill Air Force Base with Kishima Garcia (Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer) and Bobby Farnand (Housing Resident Advocate). They visited several historical markers to include the Port Tampa Cemetery. The cemetery is one of five Black cemeteries found in the Tampa Bay area from the 1890s. Mickia and the group also visited the site of the Black Troops Area — these troops included the engineer aviation battalions, manned almost exclusively by African American service members and Women’s Army Corps personnel who first began serving at MacDill in 1943 during World War II. MacDill has 10 other historical markers throughout the base. If you are ever in the area it's worth visiting.

The results of the 2022 Housing Pulse Check found 3 in 4 active-duty family respondents (74%) who moved in the last year and searched for private rental housing, reported that finding housing within $200 of the service member’s BAH allotment — that met their family’s needs — was “extremely difficult,” and an additional 12% reported it was “very difficult.” Thanks to the generosity of 富国银行 , Housing Insecurity Fellow Kimberly Gold?? is learning new ways to aid the military and Veteran community.?

Salesforce DEPLOY Fellow Angela M Alford is asking herself an important question this month, “Documentation — Why is it important?” For someone devoted to the understanding of technology, Angela is using last month’s theme of love to dedicate herself to exploring the importance of documentation and wants to share her journey with you:?

“Valentine’s day was February 14. How did you show your Salesforce instance you care for it?

I decided to update my instance’s documentation. Love it or hate it, documentation is a must. This is the way you can care for your Salesforce instance and your company. Your documentation should include all critical business processes. It gives your team or company a level of cohesion. It encourages knowledge transfer. This will empower your teams to understand how processes work and what finished projects typically look like. So how did you show you care for your Salesforce instance?”

Lydiah Owiti-Otienoh , the 摩根大通 Financial Wellness DEPLOY Fellow, will be joined this month by J.R. Tietsort, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Aura; Jeff Chin, Executive Director of Blue Star Families’ New England Chapter; and a guest from the National Consumer Law Center for the Money Mondays webinar to discuss how military families and Veterans are more vulnerable to fraud and identity theft, and what signs to look out for how to protect themselves and their children online.

In February, Lockheed Martin National Capital Region Fellow Laura Abubekr had the opportunity to attend the Blue Star Families DEPLOY Fellowship Training at Georgetown. “I’m truly honored to have been present with a dynamic group of people who share the common love for our military community,” reflects Laura. “Thank you Lockheed Martin for your generosity. My heart is full with the many new methods to support military families. I’m especially grateful for expanding my knowledge in areas such as: power and influence with professor Ella Washington, vision and communication with professor Jeanine Turner, and gender intelligent negotiation with professor Cathy Tinsley. I appreciate the continued opportunities for growth. I look forward to all the possibilities to come in the future. Mahalo, thank you, gracias.”

Food insecurity adversely affects military families. Lockheed Martin Fellow Marla Bautista knows a lot about that. As a former creative writing instructor for the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Fort Drum, she heard many heartbreaking stories about the unseen struggles accompanying food insecurity. Now she works tirelessly to increase awareness about the struggles service members face today while making sure military families have access to the nutrition they need for tomorrow.

A special thank you to Craig Newmark for continuing to support the Campaign for Inclusion and DEPLOY Fellowship Program! This work wouldn’t be possible without partners like you.