Volunteerism in the Military Spouse Community
All of the U.S. Armed forces have different groups of volunteer efforts, and they are primarily staffed by military spouses around the world. As military spouses, we make volunteerism an integral part of our communities because it provides us with new experiences, helps us create a sense of community, and allows us to continue to uphold the commitment our families make to service.
The United States Armed Forces are currently a volunteer effort in themselves— service members choose to join the military. This career choice affects not only service members but also their families. Through this career and necessitated lifestyle, service members and their families grow to understand the importance of one of the core U.S. Military values: the commitment to selfless service. The philosophy of volunteerism requires the volunteer to give their time, ability, and skills altruistically to benefit others. This ethos leads many military spouses to seek out volunteer efforts throughout the world to continue this legacy.
I am a relatively new military spouse. After my husband and I got married eight months ago, I moved from Washington, D.C. to Fort Rucker, Alabama. I felt overwhelmed by this drastic change at first, as I left the familiarity of the city that I grew up in. I did my best to throw myself into the community and make new friends as soon as I arrived in Fort Rucker. I quickly realized that volunteerism is an integral part of the Army community. Spouse groups across the post regularly intertwine social activities with community service. Many spouses choose to aid the Army Volunteer Corps, an organization that formalizes the Army’s commitment to volunteer service. The A.V.C. strives to leave a positive footprint on the communities that the U.S. military interacts with. It makes duty stations an active part of the community at large, rather than seemingly cloistered, walled military installations.
My first foray into volunteerism as a military spouse is with the A.V.C. as an aide to the Employment Readiness office. This office works to help spouses and veterans gain employment in the surrounding community. My volunteer work has helped me to gain a better sense of the Army community while also allowing me to help a cause I am passionate about: lowering military spouse unemployment. Because I work remotely for Squared Away, I am afforded flexibility in my schedule to continue my volunteer efforts with the Employment Readiness office. In fact, the Squared Away community encourages commitment to selfless service. When I asked my teammates at Squared Away about their volunteer experiences, I found that there is a common theme in our work: we do it because we love it, and because as military spouses, we understand the necessary sacrifices that come in the form of a commitment to bettering our communities. Here are some of the volunteer experiences from the Squared Away team:
Serving the Military Community
Melissa has served as a volunteer for the All Officer Spouse’s Club for the entirety of her spouse’s military career. Through her work with this organization, Melissa has helped to raise scholarship funds for military children, aid the U.S.O. in providing meals to unaccompanied soldiers, conduct base clean-ups, and work with the local base library on community projects. Melissa works with the A.O.S.C. because she understands the sacrifices that military members and their families make. She hopes that her work can help alleviate stressors that military life can bring to families. For Melissa, volunteering has helped her create a tighter bond within the military community that she and her family have lived in for almost nineteen years.
Creating LINKS
Ellie helps to educate the community about the military and its involvement in particular areas through her work in her local L.I.N.K.S. (Lifestyle, Insights, Networking, Knowledge, and Skill) chapter. In addition to her time with L.I.N.K.S., Ellie also worked with the Family Readiness Office to help families during their unit’s deployment cycles. Through all of these efforts, Ellie won the Presidential Volunteer Award three years in a row with over 150 hours of volunteer work. Ellie and her husband make volunteering a regular part of their time together. Recently they helped to teach a separation and deployment section through L.I.N.K.S. To Ellie, volunteerism is just as crucial to spouses as it is to the community. This is because it helps military spouses explore areas of interest while also learning about and creating links to the surrounding community — both on and off base.
Finding Your Place
Veronica currently volunteers with the Stroller Warriors Running Club, a running club for military spouses and their family members. With a background in mental health advocacy, Veronica feels that volunteerism is a way to help military spouses cope with the profound change that comes with frequent moving and family separation. Because spouses typically have to leave their jobs, friends, and family when they move, they can often find themselves having a hard time settling in. After moving to another base, Veronica “went from working full-time with 2 toddlers to being home all the time with 2 toddlers and no other adult to speak to for 8–12 hours a day. Getting involved pulled [her] out of a negative headspace.” Veronica feels that volunteering helps spouses make connections, gives them access to meaningful work and helps to keep their spirits high during times of transition.
Building a Resume with an Impassioned Purpose
Elise credits her diverse career path to volunteer experiences that she has taken on over the years. With a passion and an educational background in marine biology, Elise began volunteering at the National Aquarium to gain experience in the field. She was later employed by the National Aquarium, and through her work, she took a particular interest in training and working with the volunteer force that she was formerly a part of. While it is challenging for Elise to find work in her field at different duty stations, she can stay current with her skills through volunteer work. In every place she goes, she is able to make strong connections to the marine biology community in the area, continuing to improve her resume and practice her passion. After her most recent P.C.S. to Hawaii, Elise began volunteering with beach clean-up events through the Sustainable Coastline organization. This latest endeavor allows her to stay close to marine wildlife, create a sense of community, and keep her resume relevant in her educational field.
Volunteer opportunities within the military community help to better the world one base at a time. Many of these volunteer efforts are upheld by the military spouse community. At Squared Away, we understand the necessity of volunteer efforts, and we’re grateful that our flexible work environment allows us to continue our habits of giving back. We hope to continue the legacy of volunteerism amongst the military spouse community, and we’re thankful for the many benefits that volunteerism indirectly affords us in return.
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