 |
| Join Our Mailing List |
 | |
Events
Fort Minnesota Express is your family's link to what's going on Beyond
the Yellow Ribbon.
|
 | | Rasmussen Business Conference
Aug 20, 2010 | | Conference for military leadership and civilian business leadership in Brooklyn Park |
 | | Operation Family Camp
Aug 27-29, 2010 | | Camp for military children at Ironwood Springs Ranch in Stewartville |
 | | 60-Day Reintegration:
114th, 204th, OMLT II
Aug 28, 2010 | | 60-Day Reintegration event in Bloomington |
 | Veterans Entrepreneur Seminar
Aug 31, 2010 | | Seminar for veterans in St. Paul |
 | | Family Prep Academy:
B/211 & OMLT IV
Sep 11, 2010 | | Family Prep Academy in St. Cloud |
 | | MIRT
Sep 11, 2010 | | Reintegration event in White Bear Lake for those Servicemembers needing to complete one |
 | | CBWTU
Sep 12, 2010 | | Training for wounded warriors and family members in White Bear Lake |
 | Family Readiness Planning
Conference
Sep 24-26, 2010 | | Conference for military families |
 | | Gold Star Retreat
Oct 1-3, 2010 | | Retreat for Gold Star Families |
 | | 90-Day Reintegration:
114th & 204th
Oct 22-25, 2010 | | 90-Day Reintegration event at Camp Ripley |
|
| Beyond the Yellow Ribbon provides new home for Military Family Care Initiave | |
Last month Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and First Lady Mary Pawlenty announced that the First Lady's Military Family Care Initiative website would be transferred into the caring hands of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.
The newly dubbed Military Family Care Initiative was launched by First Lady Pawlenty in 2003 with the goal of connecting Minnesota military families with community-based organizations that provide volunteer services. This summer the Initiative has expanded to allow businesses and organizations to register on the website, to offer free or discounted services to families of deployed Servicemembers.
"Throughout this process, not only have families, organizations and others expressed a willingness to pull alongside our Guard and military families but businesses have also questioned how they can help," said First Lady Pawlenty.
The Military Family Care Initiative website fits hand in hand with the "Yellow Ribbon Community Campaign." The campaign assists communities in uniting all areas within their community to create a comprehensive network that connects and coordinates agencies, organizations, resources and employers for the purpose of proactively supporting Servicemembers and military families.
Many families are helped by the Military Family Care Initiative, whose website has received as many as 2,000 visits in a month. |  |
| Watch for us at the Minnesota State Fair | |
Visit Beyond the Yellow Ribbon at the Minnesota State Fair! Our Yellow Ribbon team will be in the National Guard Recruiting booth, on the west side of the 4-H building all 12 days; Aug. 26 through Labor Day.
Stop in to pick up your Beyond the Yellow Ribbon car magnet and join the growing number of cars on our roadways proudly supporting our Minnesota military families. | |
| Yellow Ribbon Teen Panel | |
Minnesota National Guard State Youth Coordinators and Operation Military Kids (OMK) partnered last month to give a voice to military teens. The mission of the Yellow Ribbon (YR) Teen Panel group is to empower teens to be a part of the planning process in supporting military connected youth in Minnesota.
Thirteen teens brainstormed for three days at a focus group in Shakopee to craft the first YR Teen Panel. They broke into small groups to determine how teens would be selected for the YR Teen Panel and what criteria members needed and goals for the panel. Through the process they learned the importance of working together and compromising to reach a goal.
"I enjoyed being part of the focus group and working on the design team for the panel," said Teen Panel member Andrea Yurczyk.
The YR Teen Panel is part of a larger effort to connect military families throughout Minnesota. In the next several months OMK and the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team will roll out local teen networks.
The application for the YR Teen Panel is now available online at www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org with a registration deadline of Sept. 10th. Once a member of the YR Teen Panel, the youth will have an opportunity to participate in state-wide, as well as nation-wide military connected activities. | |
| Defending the Blue Line Military Might Camp | |
From Duluth to the Twin Cities to Rochester, hockey is a huge part of Minnesota culture. It seems only fitting that the self proclaimed "State of Hockey" would, among its many other programs for military youth, birth a hockey program.
Defending the Blue Line (DTBL) is a non-profit organization in Minnesota aimed at assisting Minnesota's military families through hockey, making sure every military child has the opportunity to play. Through free equipment, special events, financial assistance and camps, DTBL has provided joy to hundreds of military children through the game of hockey.
In July DTBL partnered with the Herb Brooks Foundation and The Hockey School to provide a week-long camp for over 50 military kids of all ages in Spooner, Wis. The camp, called the Military Might Camp, was completely free and provided a memorable experience for the children as well as valuable hockey skills taught by The Hockey School staff which included American Hockey League professional, J.P. Testwuide.
In addition to on-ice skills the children were given off-ice training and provided with recreation time each night including bowling, movies and tubing.
One military wife (who preferred not to be named) picking up her child was surprised by the generosity of the organizations involved, "I am so glad we were provided this opportunity, normally camps like this are out of our budget and it was so great to be able to send our son to it."
DTBL offers other camp partnerships, equipment and financial assistance to military families, for more information visit www.DefendingTheBlueLine.com. | |
| "Boots On Camp" held in Duluth | |
Earlier this month nearly 30 military children attended the Boots On Camp put on by Operation Military Kids at Hartley Nature Center in Duluth.
The camp, geared toward kindergarten through sixth grade military children who were formed into two squads with volunteers and Servicemembers as their leadership for the activities.
Over the two day camp the children participated in games learning about the deployment process, military life and wildlife.
Hartley Nature Center provided a unique set of activities for the children like learning about how to track animals through making molds of animal tracks and a wilderness walk.
Military related activities included weapon safety using marshmallow guns, learning about the military uniform and learning more about the process of a deployment by simulating paperwork Servicemembers must fill out in a fun and interactive way.
Through the experience the children came out of the Boots On Camp with a better idea of what goes on through the deployment process so they can better cope when their loved one is deployed.
Operation Military Kids also runs a Boots Off Camp; similar to the Boots On Camp, it prepares military youth in grades 7-12 for the homecoming of their deployed loved one through team building, communication and conflict resolution activities.
For more information on the Boots On and Off Camps or Operation Military Kids, go to, www.OperationMilitaryKids.org.
| |
| Small business seminar for veterans | |
Finding satisfying employment is an obstacle many veterans face
upon returning home. They are experienced and desire challenges, which is why many are attracted to the prospect of owning their own business, but they don't know how to get started.
To get veterans started in their own entrepreneurial venture, Beyond
the Yellow Ribbon is hosting a small business seminar for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans.
Through the seminar veterans can expect to hear and learn from small business experts, get exposure to multiple entrepreneurial resources, network with fellow entrepreneurs and find an experienced mentor to guide them through the process of starting their own small business.
The seminar will be held at HIWAY Federal Credit Union in St. Paul on Aug. 31, registration and more information is available online at www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org. | |
|
