Family Readiness Corner: Operation Ready Families Classes Published Jan. 9, 2011 By Ms. Carolann Wunderlin 129th Rescue Wing Family Readiness Program Manager MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD, Calif. -- The Operation Ready Families is the California National Guard's family Assistance Network. It's mission is to assist units as they support the families of servicemembers during peacetime and times of training and deployment. Dedicated to their vision of being a fully functioning family Chain of Concern, the following courses are available to Airmen and/or their spouses to enhance their readiness and wellness. Family Readiness Course - Feb 26 and 27, 2011 in Chico, Calif. Provide the essentials on establishing and maintaining a viable Family Readiness system in California National Guard units. Suggested attendees are unit volunteers, military point of contact for Family Readiness, commanders and other leaders. Topics include Family Program Essentials, Effective and Legal Fundraising, Deployment, and more. 11 SEATS AVAILABLE Non-Military Volunteer Only Course - Jan 15 and 16, 2011 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. This course is a follow-up to the Family Readiness Course, providing leadership skills, training to unit and command volunteer coordinators. Sessions include: My Life in a Box, Leadership Skills, Operation Eagle Eyes, Compassion Fatigue, The Media & You, Community Relations and Be a Part of the Solution - A Practical Exercise for Volunteers. 17 SEATS AVAILABLE PICK Program March 12 and 13, 2011, San Diego, CA The PICK (Premarital Interpersonal Choices & Knowledge) program, for single Soldier and Airmen, is a research based program that is designed to equip singles to ask the right questions, look for the right (and wrong) characteristics in a potential spouse, and keep relationships at a proper pace. Other seminars that focus on married couples deal with issues such as communication, intimacy, trust and problem solving, but the PICK program helps you find the right person in the first place. 35 SEATS AVAILABLE Please register for one event at a time, for processing purposes. For example, if you wish to attend the Family Readiness Course and the Volunteer Only Course, register for FRC first and then submit. Once submitted, return and register for the Volunteer Only Course. Go to http://www.prestoregister.com/cgi-bin/order.pl?ref=Readyfamilies&fm=1 to register. In the Quantity/Selection enter "2" to register a couple for Marriage Enrichment or select the check box to register for the Family Readiness course, PICK program, or the Volunteer Only course. When asked for payment contact information, it is not used for payment information, that's just how the system labels it, this is the information we will use to reach you. If you are requesting an Invitational travel order, this address MUST be your home address. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. For more information regarding registration please go online to www.calguard.ca.gov/readyfamilies. Also, send your questions or comments to ready.families@ca.ngb.army.mil or call toll free to 1-800-449-9662. Youth Scholarship Opportunities from Military Community & Family Policy News The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for programs and policies which establish and support community quality of life programs on military installations for service members and their families worldwide. Please see the youth scholarship opportunities and other pertinent news announced in the Military Community & Family Policy newsletter. If you have questions, please contact Beth Riffle (beth.riffle@osd.mil), Barbara Goodno (barbara.goodno@osd.mil) or Bruce Moody (bruce.moody@osd.mil) in the Office of Communications & Outreach (MC&FP). Scholarship News Leadership Scholarship for Military Daughters For the third year in a row, The Julie Foudy Leadership Foundation will continue to honor and support families who are serving our country by offering full scholarships to military daughters interested in attending the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy. These scholarships have been generously funded by TriWest Healthcare specifically for military families. Applications for 2011 will be available the first week of January at the Foundation's Web site, www.foudyleadershipfoundation.org. The application is a PDF file, which will need to be downloaded, printed, completed, and then mailed to the address provided. Interested applicants with questions about the Foundation and/or the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy before the first of the year can contact Kerri McClellan at kerri@foudyleadershipfoundation.org or at (949) 338.5544. College Grants Available From Air Force Aid Society The Air Force Aid Society plans to award up to 3,000 grants to dependents of Air Force members for their college education through the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program. Applications for these $2,000 need-based grants are now available from the Society's Web site. Completed forms must be received by Air Force Aid Society no later than March 11, 2011. The grant program is open to dependent children of active duty, Title 10 Reservists on extended active duty, Title 32 AGR performing full-time active duty, retired, retired reservists and deceased Air Force members. Spouses of active duty members and surviving spouses of deceased personnel are also eligible. All applicants must be enrolled as full-time undergraduates at an accredited college or university during the 2011-2012 academic year, and are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average. For more information, see http://www.afas.org. Defense Commissary Agency Scholarship for Military Children Program Scholarship applications will be available Dec. 7 in commissaries worldwide and online at www.militaryscholar.org. Since the program was announced in 2000, it has awarded $8.3 million in scholarships to more than 5,400 children of service members. For more information, see http://www.commissaries.com/press_room/press_release/2010/DeCA_116_10.cfm. Professional Development "Forging the Partnership" Family Resilience Conference save the Date Mark your calendars to be in Chicago April 27- 29, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency for the interagency family readiness conference, "Forging the Partnership." The conference will bring together professionals from DoD and USDA and build connections, competency and the capacity of our agencies and programs. The conference will feature keynote speakers, current youth and family research presenters, interactive workshops, computer labs and much more. For more information, see http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/service/conferenceandworkshops/fy2011. DoDEA Launches New Application for Educator Career Program DoDEA is pleased to announce the launch of a new online application process for the Educator Career Program. The program provides internal and external candidates an opportunity to be considered for principal and assistant principal positions for the 2011-2012 School Year. This new online application tool will simplify the process by eliminating the narrative knowledge, skills and abilities - KSAs - and a supervisor assessment. To access the online application tool, see https://webapps.dodea.edu/ECP20. All applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST Jan 18, 2011. DoDEA's Chat Room features a conversation with Mr. Gordon who shares his thoughts about military communities and strong schools. See the program at http://10.101.0.102/pressroom/video.cfm?cId=CR. Family News Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) Support Educational and Career Counseling Services are provided by career consultants at no cost to you - Ask for skill and career interest self-assessments, career exploration information, education and training program referrals and more, available to all military spouses. MyCAA Financial Assistance MyCAA Financial Assistance for education and training programs leading to a license, credential or associates degree for spouses of servicemembers in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2 and O1-O2 who are pursuing portable career employment - up to $4,000 with a $2,000 annual cap that must be spent within three years of the first course. Visit the MyCAA Web site to see if you are eligible and to establish your MyCAA Account: https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa. Military Installation Spouse Employment Programs Local military installation Spouse Employment Programs offer a wide variety of support services including resume assistance, interview tips, information on federal employment, job fairs and local employer information. Find your nearest program here: http://www.MilitaryINSTALLATIONS.dod.mil. Care Package Information Available Family care packages are always a welcome treat for our deployed service members and especially so during the holidays. Are you looking for postal information? Go to www.ourmilitary.mil; see the box on the right for "Holiday Mail for Troops." In addition, DoD's Office of Community Relations provides some helpful guidelines. For the link to holiday care package guidance, see http://www.ourmilitary.mil/pdf/Sending_Care_Packages_This_Holiday_Season.pdf. For more information about the Airman and Family Readiness Office and its programs please visit http://www.129rqw.ang.af.mil/resources/familyreadiness.asp.