Guard Support News January/February 2012
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Our Mission: Supporting National Guard Families
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FRG Grant Program Provides Critical Support to Families
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Guard Support's Family Readiness Group (FRG) Program provides grants to unit FRGs before, during and after deployment. We provide up to $1,000 to qualifying Family Readiness Groups each deployment cycle. Since we launched the FRG program we have funded nearly 100 FRGs. Several sponsors help to fund our FRG program including our most recent sponsors TD Charitable Foundation, TD Bank and Lockheed Martin.
Family support groups provide critical support, assistance and connections to family members left behind during a military separation. Our grant funds help pay for administrative costs, merchandise for fundraising efforts (t-shirts, wrist bands, magnets) and for unit and family events, such as homecoming celebrations, send-off ceremonies and holiday parties.
 | 212th Engineering Installation Squadron based in
Milford, MA at the "Home Town Heroes" deployment
event held on September 16, 2011 in Worcester, MA |
"Thank you for the support of our unit - 212th Engineering Installation Squadron located in Milford, MA. Your financial assistance helps sustain and support our Family Readiness Program. Without your critical funding over this past year we would not have been able to start our FRG off with such a great beginning or do many of the things this year that we were able to do for our 212 EIS family members.
Currently we have more than 40 members who are leading a mission overseas for the Air Force in South Asia. Your assistance was important in many of our unit's FRG events, such as the annual summer barbeque and the unit holiday party. The grant funding was also used for packages sent to troops overseas and other family readiness functions, as well as for items to support families back home such as flowers for new mothers. Once again, thank you for your support and assistance."- Lt. Col. Scott A. Dumford, Commander, 212th EIS
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182nd Engineer Co. (Sapper) soldiers entering auditorium at unit Send-off Ceremony held on November 27, 2011 at Nock Middle School in Newburyport, MA
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 | | 182nd Engineer Co. (Sapper) FRG volunteers selling FRG merchandise at Send-off Event on November 27, 2011. From left to right: Donna Borucki, Arielle Keller, Karen Keller, and Maddy Dalton |
"Monthly FRG meetings, adult and youth activities and administrative costs all require funding beginning with the pre-deployment phase of a National Guard unit--months before an FRG is really ready to stand up and function independently. The grant from Guard Support allowed us to get our FRG up and running, and provided the funds we needed to seed a very successful t-shirt fundraiser at the very beginning of our deployment. Without the grant from Guard Support, our key volunteer group would be paying out-of-pocket and we would still be struggling to build up a little cushion to fund any activities. It is such a relief as a chairperson to not have to worry about where the money is going to come from for things such as coffee, snacks, craft supplies and postage! Guard Support is truly a wonderful asset to the Family Readiness Group and Family Programs!" - Kathy Keller, Chairperson, 182nd Engineer Co. (Sapper) FRG, Newburyport, MA
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| Employees at Affiliated Managers Group Sponsor Holiday Gift Project |
 | Left to right: Joan Kershaw, Alex Parker, Amy Tosch,
John O'Neill, Paul Castergine, Stephen Hopping,
Kavita Padiyar, Shari Marshall, Claire Manning,
Christine Carsman, Tracy Soehle, and Garrett Broadrup |
Employees at Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) based in Beverly, Mass. partnered with Guard Support and the Mass. National Guard Family Program Office to provide 50 National Guard families in need throughout the state of Massachusetts with holiday food gift baskets and 159 wrapped gifts for 49 children this past holiday season. The 50 festively decorated gift baskets were huge and valued at nearly $100 each. Each basket contained canned goods, bread and pancake mixes, hot cocoa, holiday cookies, candies and nuts, crackers and much more, as well as a holiday greeting card with a $50 grocery store gift card enclosed. In addition, the Dancing Deer Baking Company donated scrumptious holiday cookies and Sid Wainer & Son donated lots of fresh fruit. Employees donated nearly $7,500 and the AMG Foundation provided a generous matching contribution.  |
L eft to right: Amy Tosch, Christine Carsman, and Joan Kershaw |
One of the organizers of the project, Christine Carsman, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at AMG had this to say... "For our holiday service project this year, we reached out to Guard Support to see what we might do to help. We were very pleased to be able to partner with Guard Support to provide holiday food baskets and Christmas gifts for 50 Guard families and their children. Everyone at AMG was enthusiastic about the idea and wanted to participate. We had tremendous support and generous contributions from employees across the company, and a match from the AMG Foundation, all combining to make our project a wonderful success. More importantly, we were able to do something to show our appreciation for all that Guard members and their families do!"
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Left to right: Garrett Broadrup, Claire Manning, John O'Neill, Paul Castergine, and Ron Landen
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A recipient of a Holiday Gift Basket and Christmas presents for his three boys sent this note to Guard Support:
"I want to thank you for all that you have done to assist me and my children with an emergency relief grant, gift cards, a holiday food basket and so much more. Since I have been home from Iraq (November 2009) I have been through five surgeries and have at least one more up and coming. I have struggled financially, physically and mentally with all that I have been through. I know that if it wasn't for Guard Support assisting me in this time of need, I'm not sure where I would be or if I would even be. I thank you with all my heart for taking the time to give me and my boys a breath of fresh air to get through this Christmas." - SFC National Guard member
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| Motel 6 Offers 10% Discount to Guard Members and Our Supporters |
 Accor North American and Motel 6 have partnered with Guard Support to provide clean, comfortable, affordable lodging in the U.S. and Canada for National Guard members and Guard Support supporters and is offering a 10% discount off the standard daily rate when reservations are booked from the Guard Support landing page, or when you call 1-800-4motel6 and reference the Guard Support customer number (CP561777).
Motel 6 will pay a rebate back to Guard Support on consumed revenue tracked back to the Guard Support account number. All future rebates paid to Guard Support will be applied to our general operating budget allowing us to continue supporting National Guard members and their families. We encourage you to take advantage of Guard Support's 10% discount at Motel 6 and to share this link with service members and others who support our mission. |
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