"The Yellow Ribbon Summits are an opportunity for us to bring together all of the Yellow Ribbon Networks that have been formed across Minnesota," said Annette Kuyper, Minnesota's director of military outreach. "The purpose is to provide recognition, education and networking to our Yellow Ribbon Networks."

Each Summit will take place on a Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with several dates and locations offered throughout late winter and early spring.

"Planning Summits around the state will allow network leaders an opportunity to share best practices and build relationships with one another," Kuyper said. "Additionally, network leaders will meet state and federal partners and learn about future support initiatives to support Servicemembers, veterans and military families."

With nearly 200 Yellow Ribbon Cities, Counties and Companies in Minnesota, Kuyper said there has been a push from network leaders to synchronize efforts among the networks.

"The networks have been asking for opportunities to network," Annette said. "We've been seeing the synchronization of efforts is what is working throughout Minnesota communities, and we want to bring it to the next level."

Yellow Ribbon Network leaders are encouraged to attend any of the following Yellow Ribbon Summits:

- Feb. 2, Rochester

- Feb. 23, Bloomington

- March 9, St. Cloud

- March 23, Marshall

- March 30, Duluth

- April 6, Mankato

- May 4, Moorhead

To register for a Summit, visit Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Event Registration.

Five-year-old Hunter Johnson colors the pictures on the page to show which things he can do with his dad. Then he circles all the things he still can do after his dad deploys. It's just one of the activities in his deployment activity book that helps him better understand his dad's military deployment and its effect on his own daily life.

Hunter received the book at a Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) pre-deployment briefing he attended with his family. Since the inception of the program in 2008, books have been a vital part of supporting military families before, during, and after deployment. Resources used in this Department of Defense initiative cover a wide range of topics, including marriage enrichment, financial management, family benefits, leadership strategies, communication techniques, and spiritual wellness.

At Air Force Reserve Command Yellow Ribbon events, airmen and their family members can pick and choose the informational sessions most useful to them and when they leave, they take with them books about those topics. "Everything they need, they can get in books," says Senior Master Sergeant Jackie Zawada, the Yellow Ribbon Program Regional Event Manager for AFRC.  "Support has to continue past the event, and the only way we can do that is through books."

Read the full article at: BooksMakeADifference.com/yrp.