THE INSPIRED BLOG
  Inspired By: Dinner
This article has taken me a bit of time to write because the entire experience I am about to share with you has taken me time to process. All good things though, I promise you! That processing brought me recognition of the best kind of humanity. So, let’s get to it. In August of 2020, my husband got a call from his former Air Force Academy classmate and long-time friend saying that he was headed to Alabama for several months. We were over-the-moon! He is one of our most favorite humans and it didn't even matter that we hadn’t seen each other in several years. We were ecstatic to be reunited and have the chance to reconnect. All I could see in my head was meal after meal, all of us gathered around our dining room table which would be full of laughter for the foreseeable future. The bonus surprise was not only a visit from Louis, but with him came another friend of his, Anna, who was here for job training. Their first Friday night in town, Louis and Anna were right where I planned for them to be, sitting at my dining room table. I could see the pure childlike joy all over my husband’s face as we sat laughing and storytelling and reconnecting late into the early hours of Saturday morning. Pause for just a second. You see, one thing you have to know about this next part is that the Air Force Academy is a big place, with about one thousand students per class (Freshman – Senior), and at the same time, it is a tiny place. Anna had attended the Academy for a couple of years, and she knew some of the same people as Louis and Ross. As we sat around the table, Ross asked if Louis or Anna knew a woman named Sarah. I internally scoffed, thinking there's no way they would know her. But they did. With Anna saying how much she'd like to see her again, my brain started going a million miles a minute. I had to get them together! After all, this is what I do; I connect people. I told Louis and Anna they had to come for dinner the next night, and we made the arrangements to have Sarah and her husband come for dinner too. We pulled it off flawlessly. I still cannot fully explain to you the energy that occurred in my house when Anna opened my front door, and Sarah saw her for the first time in over a decade. It was a joyful surprise! Sarah thought she was coming to dinner with my family, she had no idea Anna would be there! The tears, the screaming, the hugging (so much hugging), and the pure joy-it was absolutely incredible. We sat at that dining table for hours and ate, laughed, cried, ate, and learned even more about each other. It was more than a meal. We shared laughter, living in each other’s joy while also breathing in each other’s sorrows. I witnessed the extraordinary power of connection. Each of us is hardwired to be connected to other human beings.We were never intended to be alone. We have some people in our lives for a short time, others that stay for a while and others that will come and go. I genuinely believe that each person has something to offer that adds value to our lives, even if we don't realize it in that moment. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Authentic relationships are soul enriching. Community is everything. That Saturday night was an inspiring reminder to me that in this current state of our country and world, that dinner time can be extraordinary. About the Author: Cat Vandament is the 2019 Armed Forces Insurance Scott Air Force Base Spouse of the Year and the 2018 AFI Fairchild Air Force Base Spouse of the Year. She was born and raised in Coppell, Texas where she met her high school best friend and married him after he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and her from Kansas State University. Cat is a mom of two, a pilot’s wife, a public speaker, and an infertility warrior. As an adoptive mom and former teacher, Cat has taken her passion for teaching outside the classroom, to educate and advocate for families that have journeyed through infertility and are navigating the adoption process. She is taking it all one step further and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree with the University of Central Florida.
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 It's been a while since I've sat down to talk to you all through this blog. So many things have happened and changed since my last words were typed back in April. Although we have all been going through this unprecedented pandemic and what feels like endless challenges as a society; there's been some beautiful moments of joy and good, too. I want to tell you about one. When we launched as a nonprofit on April 1, 2020, our first project was #LoveMilKids. Through some incredible partnerships (THANK YOU First Command Financial and Scott Credit Union) and one epic sewer/craft genius (Alicia Steele, that's YOU) we created over 500 hearts made from used military uniforms for military kids, completely free. It was so special and it filled our hearts right up seeing their bright and happy faces as they held them. We didn't realize how important some of those hearts would become. Right before Christmas, we received a message from an Army spouse. Her sweet baby boy Maddox had just been diagnosed with Leukemia in October. His uniform heart had become his constant companion to each chemo treatment and he'd lost it. He was naturally heartbroken and she wanted to know if we had any more left over. Of course we assured her we'd send a couple so he'd have a replacement and a back-up. But as things usually go with our amazing military spouse community, that's not all that happened. This is where those beautiful kindness ripples come in. Alicia sewed Maddox his very own bear made from Army uniforms. Then we reached out to our kindness warriors at Fort Bragg, Emily and Heather. The idea was to surprise Maddox's mama with a basket filled with items to make her smile and bring her some much needed joy. We had a small budget and they were all in. But those ripples continued. Moving With The Military gave and so did Emily. Then business after business in the local Fort Bragg-Fayetteville community said they wanted to support the surprise, too. I am self-admitted crier and watching this unfold definitely brought on the tears! All. Day. Long. What a beautiful experience in the midst of something so hard. It was also a reminder of how much stronger we are when we come together. We had no idea that when we created those hearts how important they would become to some of our military children. The ripple of that initial kind act continued with all of the things that followed. That is the power of kindness; creating a ripple with no end. As you enter into the new year, we know things are going to continue to be hard. This season of challenge isn't over for any of us. But in the midst of all of that I hope you think of this story and look for your own way to make ripples, together. Xoxo, Jessica  Making Waves By: Brittany Raines Small Community, Big Village Sounds contradictory, right? Let me explain. Both on the installation and off, our community is small in size but big in hearts, helping hands and compassion for our communities. Here at Fort Drum, a village is easy to come by if you are open to it. Your village can be found within organizations such as the Spouses’ Club, youth groups, chapels, and other military services. Service members and spouses’ are easily connected to others who are like-minded. This cultivates a village for the time they are at this duty station. Further, there are groups like this outside the installation. Because the surrounding community is incredibly supportive of our service members, our villages extend beyond the gates. Having personal and community support empowers groups to make a difference together. Giving Tuesday Military This initiative started small--as many new programs do. Because our movement was so inspiring, we had individuals reach out to us even before our planning began. This is a testament to the impact of small acts of kindness and the potential a community has to grow. While many people are preparing for the holidays or settling in from a recent move, we have more than twenty organizations ready to make an impact through kindness in our community. What’s better, we will be inspiring community giving, both inside the gates and in neighborhood schools and surrounding communities as well. This year, our service opportunities extend far and wide. We have teamed up with the Red Cross to host two blood drives with the theme “Battle of the Badges” which has allowed us to work closely with the Department of Emergency Services. Once we got the ball rolling, our vision grew to a 24 hour day of giving. We are planning to deliver treats to first responders, hospital personnel, and teachers. We will also be committing small acts of kindness throughout the community that day. Our committee has developed food drives with a school for their backpack program and ZooNY in Watertown to benefit Feed Our Vets. Further, our Spouses’ Club and housing communities partner on a coat drive to donate to the Urban Mission. Also, we are asking community members to write cards to support the Veteran Pen Pal Project-Operation Holiday Salute. This program delivers cards to veterans who are in hospice across the nation for the holidays to bring comfort and positive thoughts in their final moments. The Girl Scouts will be writing inspiring messages at nursing homes. The Cub Scouts will also be delivering donations to the SPCA and first responders. Cornell Cooperative Extension has committed to kindness with their youth after school programs, and Starbucks on Fort Drum is encouraging paying it forward with paid post-it notes. Our Giving Tuesday Military committee has found incredible success this year in collaboration with organizations with whom many of us already have connections. Not only are we offering countless ways to be involved in community service on December 1st, but we have several community sponsors who have assisted in making our projects happen. Some of these sponsors include First Command, AmeriCU, Armed Forces Banks, Stewart’s Shops, and other small, local businesses. One day Sit for a minute and think about our ten committee members. Then think about the twenty organizations that have committed to a donation drive or volunteer service. Finally, consider the many lives each of those individuals will touch in one day. The hundreds of lives saved by our blood drive that one day. One day really can make a difference. Why does counting our acts of kindness that day matter? Because we are making a transformation; a transformation in mindset that will benefit our entire community and beyond. The late screenwright, Howard Zinn, lived life to inspire others to make history. He stated, “small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Our mission is just this. Your one act on one day may feel like a drop in the bucket. However, coming together as a community to make a change will create ripples, and the more drops, the bigger those ripples become. This mindset of making waves of change cannot easily be stopped or forgotten. One act or one million, kindness matters. About the Author: Brittany Raines is the 2017 Armed Forces Insurance Fort Drum Spouse of the Year. Her family was named the 2020 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) National Volunteer Family of the Year. An avid volunteer, Brittany prides herself on advocating for community needs and collaborating between organizations to serve others. She has taken networking to a powerful level at her current duty station, and has worked to increase connections to further bridge Fort Drum with the surrounding area. Currently, Brittany volunteers for the North Country Spouses' Club, Girl Scouts, the Chapel, the Resident Advisory Board, and her children's sports teams and schools. GivingTuesdayMilitary holds a special place in Brittany's heart. After giving back to every community she's lived since childhood, this mission has provided a way to use her skills and connect them with her passion for helping others.  Make Your Own Windows By: Brianna Cooley Life is hard. Moving to a new installation or environment is tough and connecting with people and fitting in can be really challenging. Transitions are hard, but being proactive can make it easier. I moved to Barksdale AFB when I was in seventh grade. Middle school is already hard enough, but add in kids not being friendly, my brother and sister living away for college and Air Force Basic Training and being in a new place where I knew no one? Rough. I went from being on homecoming court and involved in quite a few clubs in Alabama to not having any friends and no possibility of small groups here in Louisiana. But in eighth grade I started trying new sports and clubs and was finally able to gain an officer role in my school’s Beta Club. Ninth grade (16 months into our new duty station) was definitely my break-through year. I was able to be a Senator on Student Council and become active in both s2s and FCA. Now as a tenth grader I am president of the sophomore class, president of s2s, working on completing my second semester of dual enrollment and a member of the varsity cheer, swim and tennis teams. Although I was constantly working to gain traction at school, but my community activities were what carried me through. With everything that I was doing outside of school… my school inclusion issues became the least of my worries or my concern. I began starting my own initiatives in 7th and 8th grade. The first one was very small, B’s Birthday Surprises. This was where I would go around base and surprise airmen on their birthday by request of a family member that could not visit them here at their installation. Now, 2 years later, the initiatives are much larger. B’s Bags are hygiene/snack packs distributed to homeless friends around the US on our travels and Lil Warrior’s Kindness Krewe where we mentor children and promote community service is thriving. Through this serving I have met the greatest people… people that love me, encourage me and push me in ways I never knew possible. Moral of this story is simple. Just like kids, you as a military spouse or civilian have probably had similar struggles fitting in, no matter what your environment was. It took over two years for the school environment to come around and be better for me. Instead of waiting for that, it just forced me to open my own window and create my own opportunities to meet people and enrich my life. If you are struggling with friends, neighbors, whatever at your new installation or current life situation… don’t give up! Keep moving forward, but always think of other things you can do keep your feeling connected and engaged. Make your own window. About the author: Brianna is military child focused on tackling suicide prevention through mentoring children of all ages to discover their purpose through community service, leadership, and showing kindness. As a leader with Every Warrior Network, Brianna serves as Director of the Lil’ Warriors Kindness Krewe where she mentors children and provides parents and teachers with tools and daily challenges to promote kindness and service. As the Barksdale AFB #GivingTuesdayMilitary ambassador and team lead Brianna lead the effort to send over 7,000 holiday cards to airman at BMT for Christmas 2019 and collected over 1,500 food items for our local backpack ministry for elementary aged students facing food insecurity, ultimately achieving 10,000 acts of kindness. Brianna is an honors student, a cheerleader, and a tennis player. She serves in leadership with Student Council, S2S, FCA, and JROTC at school and is an active member of Team RWB. A huge part of Brianna’s life is developing initiatives to address problems she has discovered in her communities. To date she has created 4 initiatives, earned 5 Presidential Volunteer Service Awards (Gold), was recently recognized as a Top 5 Air Force Military Child of the Year finalist, and has appeared on several podcasts, local televisions segments, and panels.  Kindness, compassion and a connection to those in need help us to rise from the ashes.
The prophet Jeremiah writes: “In this place of which you say it is a wasteland…. there will be heard again the sounds of joy and gladness…. the voices of those who sing.” Guadalupe, Arizona, a town of 5,000 on the east side of Phoenix, was the scene of a tragedy 21 years ago. A father of 6 children shot their mother and then turned the gun on himself, leaving the 6 children to live with their grandparents. The tragedy began long before the murder-suicide, however. Alex abused his wife, Rose, and children for years. Rose tried many times to escape and this time was deadly. Three of the children witnessed the massacre and three saw their mother and father lying dead when they came home from school. The local news carried the story as I was cooking dinner. This horrifying act happened 3 miles down the road from my house. The reporter was interviewing the grandmother who was in shock. It hit me that this woman needed help with her 6 grandchildren. At the time, as the director of a youth ministry program at my church, I was able to call on the youth and people of our parish to lend a hand. My friend Flo and I knocked on doors until we found the house that was the scene of the tragedy. We found that 18 children lived in the house with 5 adults. There was a great need for food, clothes, and hygiene supplies. Our youth program raised money within 2 weeks and delivered needed items. I made regular trips to drop items off the house donated by our generous parish and each time the grandmother would greet me in tears. She would barely raise her head. Finally, after 6 months she looked at me and asked my name. From that moment we forged a friendship and she trusted that we would help the children. Flight 33 is an after school program that began tutoring 12 children in the family affected by the tragedy. In our 21 years the program grew to 250 children meeting at the local Tribal center. Over the years, we have had great successes with students graduating that might never have reached that goal. At the same time, we have seen more tragedies in the lives of the children. And even though we know many of the children’s stories, we are just scratching the surface. Many of these children are survivors. They go to school day after day and never complain. They come to the after school program with a smile and are greeted the same way. Kindness and compassion are hallmarks of Flight 33. The kindness of our volunteers who spend hours tutoring, playing learning games, or just talking with the kids. The kindness of strangers who donate money, food, clothes, school supplies, snacks, hygiene items, and blankets. The kindness of the parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, who are grateful and want to help. All go above and beyond to make life better for our students. Being kind takes inner strength and fortitude but carries a huge reward. Caring about others and showing them that they are valuable, helps us to care about and value ourselves. Covid-19 has limited Flight 33’s contact with our students. The town was hit hard, and families lost loved ones. The hard-working people in the community have risen to serve their fellow towns people. Flight 33 has been blessed to work alongside the people to help furnish needed supplies and provide learning activities for the children. There is no limit to what we can do when we work together to help others in need. The trauma continues and is forever present in the lives affected by devastating acts. But, in the end... kindness has the power to transform these lives, giving hope and a reason to look to the future. About the author: Christine Puzauskas, a former teacher and youth minister, is the Founder/Director of Flight 33, Inc. a nonprofit that serves children in Guadalupe, AZ through education and basic needs assistance. Chris has a background in Education and began a youth ministry program in 1999, Flight, Freedom to Live the Truth. Flight 33 came out of that program. This nonprofit foundation is led by volunteers and has managed an after-school program for 21 years. Flight 33 currently collaborates with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to hold the program in the local community center. Chris is married to John Puzauskas, a civil engineer. They have two daughters, Katie and Maggie, and 4 grandchildren with one more due any day. |
