By now you have probably heard about the Military and Veterans Student Association (MAVSA), but you may be wondering why you should join, or what the group is all about.

MAVSA is TCC's local chapter of SVA (Student Veterans o

A group of students at the March MAVSA meeting

f America). Anyone can join the group who is supportive of service members and their families, but according to the group's president, John Harrison, the club was started "for veteran students who sometimes can feel lost on a campus full of students they may not relate to." Harrison, himself a Marine vet, has worked to get this group founded and the work continues as the group expands and is currently trying to get active chapters started on each of the four TCC campuses. They would like to see a president, vice president and secretary on each campus to create ownership among each student body. Harrison says they don't want the club to feel like it's all about one particular campus or group of people, even though the group is headquartered at the CMVE at the Virginia Beach campus.

There are many benefits to joining this student group, but Harrison says the biggest benefit is the peer support. He says "I don't miss having to wear the uniform, but I miss wearing the uniform. Being in this group helps bring that military camaraderie back - it give students a group of people they can relate to and help along the way." The group is working on starting a more formal peer and faculty mentoring group for active and veteran members. This program will help military students make connections and network. Harrison says that "the military doesn't teach you to network - it teaches you to do what you're told, which is a good skill to have, but this group helps build networking skills that a lot of military students are lacking."

The group also participates in and plans activities that help other service members including a food drive back in November that collected food for homeless veterans. They are also planning to work on a project with Habitat for Heros - a branch of Habitat for Humanity that builds homes or retrofits homes for veterans returning from war with injuries. They are also beginning to take items for care packages which will be sent to those serving in Afghanistan.

And in the true TCC spirit of "From Here, Go Anywhere" Harrison says that there are generally other chapters of SVA clubs at universities, so if students are transferring from TCC to a four year school, there should be a group there similar to MAVSA to continue their support. For students transferring to local universities, MAVSA officers can provide contact information for those other chapters to students who are transferring soon.

To get more information on when the next MAVSA meeting will be or how to get involved, contact Coby Dillard at: CDillard@tcc.edu.

Blue Star Moms were started 70 years ago through the Department of Defense in an act of Congress in 1942.

When did you start working with Blue Star Moms and when did you become president of the HR Chapter? 
I started working with the Blue Star Moms in 2009. I had been a military mom for three years and was looking for a way to serve troops alongside other mothers who shared the same desire and struggles. I was voted in as chapter president in August 2011.

 Who can join the BSMs and how do they go about doing so?
Members are mothers. Our members are mothers, step-mothers, foster parents, and grandmothers. Associates are family members such as fathers, spouses, siblings, etc. Anyone interested in joining Blue Star Moms may do so at our national website www.bluestarmothers.org. From that national website, your local chapter is notified of your membership and contacts you. Another way to join is to come to a Blue Star Moms chapter meeting.

 What are the biggest priorities for the BSMs? Is it flags, care packages, wounded warrior programs?
All of those: care packages, supporting our Gold Star Sisters and veterans and wounded warriors are equal priorities. We work continuously to be supportive of all of those groups. 

What projects are you currently working on that people should know about or could help out with?
Right now we are in the building phase. We are getting our fundraisers in order so that we can carry out the projects we hope to accomplish this year. For example, we hope to work on a project with the TCC MAVSA group later this year to donate to the homeless veterans living in Hampton. We will also be sending out care packages, donating wreaths to Wreaths Across America and are looking for a wounded warrior project for this year. We will be welcoming the generous donations of care package items from Grassfield High Honor Society next month. Currently, we are working with Chili's restaurants for raising funds. There are other various groups and events that we attend, including home comings and the upcoming Wounded Warrior runs going on throughout Hampton Roads. We can be found on Facebook under Blue Star Moms of Hampton Roads. And if you are really interested in seeing what we do behind the scenes, check out this video or blog from when our chapter was interview by Robin Meade of HLN for her Veteran's Day special Salute Troops: Stories of Courage.

HR BSMs with Robin Meade of HLN

  Tell us a little bit about your personal experience in BSMs - what has it meant to you, personally, having had three sons and a husband in combat?
Our tagline for our chapter is "A lifeline of Strength" and that is truly what the Blue Star Mom experience as been for me. I would not have made it through all the deployments without my Blue Star Sisters! When I list off deployments of my husband and sons, when they have left and come home again, it makes peoples' heads spin! Dealing with this type of emotional roller coaster takes a lot of strength and that is certainly what I draw from BSM's. But mostly, I feel so honored to be the wife and mother that I am! To have the privilege of loving these soldiers and seeing all that they sacrifice for their country. 

Tell us a little about Gold Star Moms and the process BSMs go through with them, the support they offer them, and the impact it has on both sides. 

Blue Star Moms are made up of mothers of soldiers and sailors in all military branches and all levels of their son or daughters military career. Because of this, there is always someone who understands, who has walked those steps before, and can hold your hand as you take those steps. Whether the mom is experiencing the first deployment or a third or fourth, there is a BSM there who completely understands. This is an enormous impact on moms. If you are not a military mom, you simply do not understand. For me, personally, when I send my child out to war, whether he is a fiancé, husband, or father, in my heart, he is still my little boy. My sons do not tend to understand that, but BSM's do! That said, a Gold Star Mom has made the ultimate sacrifice! She has given her son or daughter in service to this country. Those are steps I have never walked, but I am here, as are all the BSM's to uplift them, support them. When we present them with a Gold Star flag in honor of their child, it is a tender, heart-breaking moment. We honor them not only with the flag, but in working alongside them in various projects and by holding them up in prayer. Quite frankly, I am in awe of my Gold Star sisters. The impact of having the BSM and GSM relationship is that you are all mothers and you support each other with a mother's heart. I cannot begin to describe that. One has to experience it to truly understand that dynamic.

You can contact Alise and the Blue Star Moms HR Chapter at bsma_hr@yahoo.com