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Laketrails Base Camp
July 29 - Aug. 6, 2012
Aug. 7-15, 2012 |
Special offer for military teens |
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HHC 1-194 AR,
A Co. 1-194 AR,
B Co. 1-194 AR,
C Co. 1-194 AR,
D Co. 1-194 AR and
134 BSB
30-Day
July 14, 2012
St. Cloud
July 15, 2012
St. Cloud |
Reintegration event |
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2-135 IN 30-Day July 21, 2012
Rochester |
Reintegration event |
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Minnesota National Guard Youth & Teen Camp, Weeks 1 & 2
July 22-28, 2012 Camp Ripley
July 28 - Aug. 4, 2012 Camp Ripley |
For children of Minnesota National Guard Servicemembers |
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1-125 FA and
2-135 IN 60-Day Aug. 4, 2012
Mankato
Aug. 5, 2012
Rochester |
Reintegration event |
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HQ 1/34 BCT,
TUAS, HHC BSTB,
A Co. BSTB,
B Co. BSTB,
C Co. BSTB and
1-94 CAV
60-Day
Aug. 11, 2012
Metro
Aug. 12, 2012
Duluth |
Reintegration event |
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Camp Voyageur
Aug. 12-16, 2012 Mound |
Military youth ages 8-14 |
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134 BSB,
A Co. 1-194 AR,
B Co. 1-194 AR,
C Co. 1-194 AR,
D Co. 1-194 AR and
HHC 1-194 AR
60-Day
Aug. 18, 2012
St. Cloud
Aug. 19, 2012
St. Cloud |
Reintegration event |
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Military Appreciation
Day at the
Minnesota State Fair presented by U.S. Bank
Aug. 28, 2012 Falcon Heights
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Strong Bonds
Couples Retreats
July 20-22, 2012 Metro
July 27-29, 2012 Metro
Aug. 17-19, 2012 Metro
Aug. 24-26, 2012 Brainerd
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Register here |
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Strong Bonds
Single Soldier
Retreat
Sep. 7-9, 2012 Brainerd |
Register here |
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Teen Summit 2012
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Written by Laura Groeneweg
Youth Programs Coordinator
On June 24-26, 31 teenagers from Minnesota converged in St. Cloud at the Holiday Inn for a three day retreat. Teen Summit 2012 was an opportunity specifically for military connected teens to engage in building life skills, fostering resilience and networking with other geographically dispersed teens that have experienced the deployment cycle.
The program goals included skill building, recognizing the commitment and sacrifices made by military families and increasing life skills to include communication, team building, understanding personality types and decision making.
Speakers included Command Sgt. Major Kallberg, Maj. Krenz, Craig Hillier, Patrick Perez, Darlene Wetterstrom and Brian Mc Neill. Kallberg spoke with the youth about what it means to be a military connected youth. She was deployed multiple times and had teenage daughters during her deployments. The youth were able to connect with her and empathize. The speakers were able to engage the teens in discussions on decision making and resilience.
Throughout the summit, the teens were able to network and learn about specific opportunities and resources for military teens, youth and families through partners such as Red Cross, OMK, FAC's, MnSCU, military recruiters, Our Military Kids, camps, scholarships and Tutor.com.
They also participated in a service project donating 18 fleece blankets to veterans at the St. Cloud VA. Operation Military Kids is an integral partner in supporting the event. OMK was able to provide a fun outing to Skatin Place, where the teens enjoying skating, laser tag and pizza.
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Meet your FAC Specialist - Jeff Gay |
Jeff Gay is the Family Assistance Center Specialist in Marshall.
He served 24 years in the military and worked full-time for the Minnesota Army National Guard in Redwood Falls, MN.
He began his tenure as a Family Assistance Center Specialist in 2005. He says he is proud to be part of a dedicated team comprised of compassionate individuals that bring various skill sets and experience to the position that they share with one another.
He is currently Post Commander of the American Legion in Marshall and the 7th District Communications Officer. For the past ten years, he has also served on the board of directors for an advocacy program offering protection to individuals and families from domestic abuse. Additionally he has been involved with the Lion's Club, Rotary, Toastmasters and the SW Critical Incident Stress Management Team.
His personal favorite quote is: "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." - Edward Everett Hale
He and his wife have been married for just 30 years and have two wonderful children both grown who have children of their own, making Jeff a four-time Grandpa! He and his wife were also foster parents of a child who still calls him dad, and she has three children of her own.
He says he is truly blessed, but has earned every one of his gray hairs. His hobbies include reading, carpentry, writing and people watching.
To find your local FAC specialist, visit www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org/family-assistance-centers. | |
Minnesota State Fair Military Appreciation Day |
Servicemembers from all branches are invited to be part of a Welcome Home Celebration like no other and recieve four free tickets to the fair. Click image to register for your tickets. Deadline July 31st.
Highlights of the day include the Welcome Home Celebration, performance by the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Band, Thomson Reuters presents country artist Rockie Lynne's "Tribute to the Troops", more than 60 booths from military branches and organziations that support military families, and reduced ticket entrance for acitve/retired military with documention. | |
"Eyes of Freedom" Lima Company Memorial |
 | Jody Davids stands in front of the portrait of her son, Wesley, one of the 23 fallen soldiers in Lima Company. |
Submitted by Jen Wittman Best Buy employee
During the week of June 25, the "Eyes of Freedom" Lima Company Memorial visited the Best Buy Corporate Campus in Richfield, Minn. This traveling memorial is an exhibition that tells the story of love and sacrifice; a reminder of the great price men and women in military service are willing to pay for their country.
The nine paintings, created by Ohio artist Anita Miller, depict the 23 fallen Marines from Lima Company 3/25, one of the hardest hit units in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Best Buy's Military Employee Business Network sponsored the visit and Jody Davids, Senior Vice President of Global Business Services at Best Buy, whose son is one of the fallen Marines, introduced the exhibition and told her son's story of becoming a Marine.
She also shared her emotional journey during the paintings' creation; how Anita worked with each family to capture each Marine's personality and how her vision was brought to life.
Many Best Buy employees who viewed the exhibit expressed sadness and pride and were thankful to have been able to view the memorial.
One employee said, "I was so glad to have the opportunity to see the paintings and hear the stories about many of the men depicted...it's a sad thing but also such a great tribute."
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"What's Your Yellow Ribbon Story?" is the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign focused on sharing stories about the amazing things Yellow Ribbon Networks across the state are accomplishing. It's an opportunity for Servicemembers, military families and volunteers to tell their stories.
Click on the "What's Your Yellow Ribbon Story?" banner above to read the past stories.
If you share your Yellow Ribbon Story with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, we'll be sure to tell your story on Facebook! You can submit your 200-300 word story and photo by email..
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Leaders Gather to Support Veteran Employment
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 The deployment cycle doesn't end when a Servicemember returns home. They still need to reintegrate with their families and a high percentage of them also have the challenge of finding employment. A group of small business leaders, human resource professionals, career counselors and others joined forces for the 'Leaders in Veteran Employment' roundtable event on June 26 to discuss how they can help returning Minnesota veterans secure employment. "What employers need to realize is that the military is the largest vocational college," Charles Gearheart, Rochester police community service officer supervisor. Although the group clearly defined obstacles that veterans may experience while looking for employment, they were also able to come up with plans of action and also discuss efforts that have already been put in place. "What we've done in Minnesota is make hiring today's veteran one single process," said O'Reilly. "That process starts with PositivelyMinnesota.com." This process includes three easy steps: 1. Post your job openings to MinnesotaWorks.net. 2. Contact a Veterans Employment Representative and let them know you want to hire a veteran. 3. Connect with a local Yellow Ribbon Network and ask how you can help. Along with this process, there are other events that are aimed at assisting unemployed veterans. One such event is 'Operation Career Success', which is being hosted by the Workforce Development, Inc. and the Mayo Clinic on July 21. Organizers are scheduled to provide more than 200 unemployed military veterans with one-on-one assistance from human resource professionals. The sessions will include creating a resume, interview techniques and career development. There will also be employment resource booths set up for hundreds of other veterans and their spouses. Find out more about this event, and others at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com.
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Improve Your Financial Literacy |
Testimonial submitted by Sgt. Zack Falkofske Deployment Cycle Support Family Programs
While working for Family Programs, I was introduced to Steven King, a military personal finance counselor or MPFC.
MPFCs can help with any personal financial issue, including creating a budget, dealing with debt and creditors, enrolling in the Thrift Savings Plan or other retirement accounts, education funding, estate planning, investing and income taxes.
Although, Steven and I discussed finances casually in the hall, I hadn't taken the time to set up an appointment with him until he said something that stuck with me.
"Zack, I charge anywhere from $150-200 an hour for my consulting firm, and you, as a Servicemember, get this for free."
Within 45 minutes of our meeting, Steve had not only set up a basic budget for me, but he also showed me what I could saving each year if I started with my next paycheck. He mentioned that many people wait until they are 30 to start saving. He educated me on what a difference I could make on my savings, if I started now.
This service is free to Servicemembers and even if you are a money-managing guru, it's good to continually educate yourself and ensure that you're on the right track.
To contact a MPFC, call 651-491-3695 or email minnesotapfc@gmail.com. Also visit www.btyr.org/financial-literacy to find more financial resources. | |
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