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Resources
Military support groups
Several area organizations hold meetings for friends and families of those who are serving in the military:
Get To Know Us Before You Need Us
For any military family member
Meets first Sunday of each month at 3:00 p.m.
Next meeting is July 13 and will end with a potluck supper.
American Red Cross Building
1450 Newtown Pike
For information: Call (859) 253-1331 or e-mail susant@redcrosslexky.org.
Military Missions
For military family members and anyone interested in supporting the military
Meets first and third Mondays of each month at 6:30 p.m.
For information: www.militarymissionsonline.com or email militarymissions@insightbb.com.
Hearts for Heroes
For any military family members
Summer schedule varies generally meets second and fourth Thursdays of each month.
For information: www.southlandchristian.org and search Hearts for Heroes, or e-mail kmoore@southlandchristian.org.
Blue Star Mothers of the Blue Grass Chapter 1
For mothers of people in the military (other relatives can be associate members)
Next meeting: June 10 at 6:00 p.m. at Panera Bread Co. in Palomar Centre.
For information: Write P.O. Box 596, Lexington KY 40588-0596
Blue Stars Mothers Kentucky Chapter 2
For mothers of people in the military (other relatives can be associate members)
www.kybluestarmomschapter2.org.
For information: E-mail KyBlueStarMoms@aol.com.
While Matt Krupp serves in Afghanistan with other members of the 201st Engineer Battalion of the Kentucky National Guard, his wife, Kylene, and 2-year-old daughter Sarah are counting the days until he returns.
Matt calls occasionally, but the separation is tough on his young family. Kylene draws support from Hearts for Heroes, a group of other military family members that meets at Southland Christian Church.
Family members of military personnel learned long ago the value to coming together to help one another. ”Any place where military families are located has a group like this,“ said Susan Temmermand, Coordinator of Services to the Armed Forces with the Lexington chapter of the American Red Cross.
The military calls it ”family readiness,“ which Temmermand thinks is a better term than ”support group.“
These groups help families ”find local resources, think outside the box,“ said Temmermand. ”Many times, when a family is faced with a big experience, like a broken furnace, they only see one answer, usually the worst.“ Members of the group can help see all possible solutions, ”by showing them a road map with many different roads, then let them pick their way to their goal.“
As a temporary single parent Kylene's workload is heavier now, but for her ”it is hard to reach out for help.“ Neither Matt nor Kylene has family nearby. ”Our friends are our rock here,“ Kylene said. ”The (Hearts for Heroes) ladies help out with Sarah so much. They are truly a blessing.“
Temmermand knows what Kylene's life is like now. Temmermand has spent her adult life helping military families, starting as a volunteer while her husband served in the U.S. Army.
Temmermand hosts a monthly meeting open to any friends or relatives of military service people. The group is called ”Get To Know Us Before You Need Us.“ The program, which she helped develop, has become a model for Red Cross chapters nationwide.
Like Temmermand, Allen O'Conner, Care Minister at Southland Christian, has personal military family experience. ”Having grown up in a military family during the Vietnam War days and sending my dad off for two tours, I know firsthand how difficult these times are for the soldiers (in combat) and the families left behind,“ he explained.
Southland Christian's members are involved with military families because ”As we live out what Jesus called us to be and do, our faith is strengthened,“ O'Conner said.
Two other groups, Military Missions and the Blue Star Mothers, have care package parties, working with churches, businesses, and other groups that donate toiletries, snacks, and other items to be packed and sent to members of the military.
Julia Shaw, an active member of the Blue Star Mothers group, has a son in the military. Camden Jordan is an officer and a Ranger with the Army's 101st Airborne Division. Julia spent her birthday helping Camden store his belongings and pack what he needed for deployment. He left for Iraq the next day.
Shaw reminds herself that Camden is doing what he wants to do. She suggested that regardless of your opinion about the war, ”when you see a serviceman or woman, thank them for their service to our country.“
And groups are nearby to help the families they left behind.
