Community Engagement

Financial service providers and educators working with military families play a critical role in helping service members understand credit and build credit confidence through credit education. Navigating the complexities of credit can help service members feel more prepared for the financial demands of life in the military.

Caregivers are often the unsung heroes—pouring their time, energy, and heart into meeting the daily needs of their care recipients. But in the midst of it all, caregivers can unintentionally neglect their own well-being. As a provider, you play a crucial role in recognizing and supporting caregivers who may be facing burnout or chronic stress.

Bullying is a prevailing issue in today’s schools and leads to negative outcomes for both victims of bullying and perpetrators of bullying (Gaffney et al., 2021). Victims are likely to have mental health concerns, lower self-esteem, suicide ideation, and substance abuse issues, while perpetrators are likely to have a criminal record, use drugs, and engage in violent behavior (Gaffney et al., 2021).

Caregiving is a complex and often demanding responsibility. While many envision a spouse caring for their partner, caregivers come from diverse backgrounds and relationships, including friends, distant family members, or professional support networks.

Caregiving can be a monumental task, and no one person can do it alone. Whether the care recipient is aging, disabled, or facing a chronic illness, the responsibility of providing care can be overwhelming.

Permanent change of station moves and parental deployments are part of the norm for military families. For military teens, these moves bring new schools, neighborhoods, and routines. Like plants being uprooted and replanted in a new garden, military teens often have to adapt to a new environment. Military teens need support from those around them to adapt and flourish. What are some ways we as service providers can help military teens bloom where they are planted?

The holiday season is a time of giving, gratitude, and togetherness—a chance to show our loved ones just how much they mean to us.

Caregiving is often a 24/7 commitment filled with emotional and physical challenges, yet it stands among the most impactful roles in a person’s life (Schulz & Eden, 2016). Recognizing the journey of family caregivers and the support they need is essential to building a compassionate community for these unsung heroes.

In the OneOp blog post, Climate Resilience in Coastal Military Communities, we shared examples of some of the disaster preparedness work that professionals within the Department of Defense (DoD) are doing to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters on coastal military communities. Through conservation work with the Coastal Resilience DoD Liaison Program, military leadership looks to safeguard not only the environment for wildlife but also the livelihoods of military service members and their families. Coastal military communities especially have been grappling with an array of issues—from surging sea levels to scorching heat waves—all exacerbated by the changing climate.