National Staff Development Council National Staff Development Council 2008.
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR National Council Welcomes Honorary...
Transcript of MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR National Council Welcomes Honorary...
The National
Council of Coast Guard
Spouses’ Clubs
www.nationalcouncilofcgsc.org
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR
By now, some of you are finding out where the
next chapter of your Coast Guard life will be.
While many of you might be old hands at the PCS,
for some of you, this will be a new adventure. As
we have said before, no problem is new, just new
to you. If this is your first move, don’t be afraid to
ask questions, either of your fellow Spouses’ Club
members or us (use Facebook, our website or
email to contact us). And if you’ve racked up a
double-digit number of moves, be proactive and
reach out to the less experienced. Maybe your
Club can hold a PCS night out – you can tell them
your secrets to a successful move and they can
ask questions of you. There is nothing like telling
your story to help you get to know each other!
As you can see from the next article, the National
Council recently modified our by-laws to include
the spouse of the Reserve Force Master Chief as
one of our Advisory Board members. The role of our
Advisory Board is to provide guidance on how best
to support all aspects of the Coast Guard family
when it comes to Spouses’ Clubs. We made this
change to reflect that many clubs allow Reserve
spouses as members. The relationships gained by
welcoming Reserve spouses bring valuable ties
and resources from the community. In turn, a
Reserve spouse gains valuable insight into the
Coast Guard way of life and new friendships are
forged. You can reach out to your command to
find out when the Reserves will next be drilling and
ask to say a few words about your Club and
consider offering flyers, business cards or a recent
newsletter for their families. Our clubs are stronger
with unique points of view!
National Council Welcomes Honorary Advisor Valerie Johnson to Board
The National Council is pleased to welcome Valerie
Johnson as our newest Honorary Advisor. Johnson
has been a Coast Guard spouse since 2000. While
supporting her husband’s military career, Valerie
answered her nation’s call and enlisted in the New
Hampshire Air National Guard, where she served for
12 years. She was honorably discharged after
completing a tour in Iraq in 2008 and earning the
rank of Master Sergeant in 2012. Valerie under-
stands our Coast Guard families and advocates for
them in her role as one of the Coast Guard’s
Ombudsman at Large. Valerie’s passion is for our
deployed service members and their families. She
works extensively with the DOD’s Yellow Ribbon
Reintegration Program, whose goal is to promote
the well-being of National Guard and Reserve
members. Valerie is married to Coast Guard
Reserve Force Master Chief Eric Johnson. They are
the proud parents of four children.
Read more to find out about your Coast Guard Spouses’ Clubs’ activities this quarter!
Thank you for your continued support of your Coast Guard Spouses’ Clubs!
IN THIS ISSUE
Message from our Chair 1
Welcome Valerie Johnson 1
Club Spotlight 2
Hiring our Heroes 3
Nominations for Council 3
Important Links 4
USCG HSWL App 4
National Council Information 4
Each quarter the National Council of Coast Guard Spouses’
Clubs will feature and recognize one of the Coast Guard
Spouses’ Clubs for their outstanding service. This quarter we
highlight the North Bay Coast Guard Spouses Club, submitted
by Club President, Jill Everingham:
The North Bay Coast Guard Spouses’ Club is a unique group
whose membership is comprised of spouses from multiple Bay
Area Coast Guard units, supporting each other in making the
Bay Area feel like home.
One of our primary goals is to look for opportunities to partner
with our local community. A great example of this outreach is
our involvement with Wreaths Across America. This fundraiser
and club event combines raising money for our scholarship
program while at the same time increasing the visibility of the
military in our area. The program helps honor the sacrifices of
our fallen Vets to ensure that they may never be forgotten. This
December, North Bay participated with our families and Coast
Guard service members in the ceremonial laying of the wreaths
at San Francisco’s National Cemetery in the Presidio.
Other community outreach activities include: Feed My Starving
Children Mobile Pack Event, www.fmsc.org, and Safe & Sober
Grad of Novato, another non-profit organization that works with
our public schools to provide a safe alternative for graduating
seniors to celebrate with friends on their graduation night.
In addition to community involvement, our club programs and
activities include:
Layette - “Welcome Baby” basket of goodies for CG families
Sunshine – Deliver meals to families in need of a little “sunshine”
Book Club – Meets monthly
Playgroup – Meets weekly
Children’s Holiday Parties
Ladies Night Out
Scholarship Program – A monetary award is given each spring to a
club member or dependent to support their path for higher education
or help pay for extra-curricular activities.
Fundraising – We have recently held two successful fundraisers:
Members designed and created a North Bay CG T-shirt for sale.
NBCGSC Cookbook – Compiled recipes and published for sale.
If you would like to find out more about our club or our activities,
please contact us at [email protected].
To support the North Bay Coast
Guard Spouses Club’s Wreaths
Across America effort, please
click here.
North Bay Coast Guard Spouses’ Club
SPOTLIGHT
National Council Seeks to Fill Executive Committee Positions
Are you a spouse currently living in or transferring to the Washington, D.C. area? The National
Council is currently looking for motivated spouses to join our Executive Committee. If any of the
following volunteer positions interests you, or if you would like to nominate someone, please
contact [email protected] by March 9th. Please
include NATIONAL COUNCIL NOMINATION in the subject
line. Committee members serve two years and you must
live in the D.C., Virginia, or Maryland area to be eligible.
Chair
Secretary
Communications Director (Website)
Communications Director (Newsletter)
By-Laws Advisor
The HOH website provides many FREE tools
and links to other information for job seekers:
HOH Dashboard: Set up one account
to access all of HOH’s digital tools at no cost
to get timely, relevant alerts, personalized
content and notifications. See MyHOH.org.
Career Spark: Create resumes that
maximize work and volunteer experience and
make them searchable to thousands of
military friendly employers.
Fast Track: Research several industries
to match interests, experience and skills with
in-demand jobs.
Virtual Job Scout: Connect with military
-friendly employers at virtual job fairs.
All * VET States: Get state-specific em-
ployment resources and career opportunities.
Hiring Our Heroes is a GREAT resource for our
Coast Guard Spouses as we move here, there
and everywhere across this great country (and
world!) with our Coasties! Check them out!
Hiring Our Heroes is a U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Foundation designed to help our
veterans, transitioning service members,
and MILITARY SPOUSES find meaningful
employment opportunities. They hold many
hiring events throughout the country that
are open to all veterans, service members,
reservists, guardsmen, and spouses. These
events are FREE and connect individuals
with ready-to-hire, military friendly employ-
ers! Exciting 2017 events are planned for
various locations.
Check out the full calendar of events here.
(Check back often as dates or locations may
change.) Learn more and register for these
FREE events at:
www.hiringourheroes.org/events.
CALIFORNIA CONNECTICUT ILLINOIS KANSAS
LOUISIANA MAINE MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN
MISSISSIPPI NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW YORK OHIO
PENNSYLVANIA PUERTO RICO RHODE ISLAND TEXAS
WASHINGTON WISCONSIN D.C.
YOUR NATIONAL COUNCIL BOARD
Chair: Gary Thomas
Vice Chair: Amy Vanderhaden
By-Laws: Shelley Kimball
Treasurer: Janice Lytle
Secretary: Shawna McQuate
Communications Courtney Allen
Directors: Macie Lowe
Work-Life Liaison: Christine DeGraw
Honorary Advisors: Fran DeNinno
Claudia Michel
Janet Cantrell
Valerie Johnson
Important Links and Updates
We are dedicated to establishing a central location
for our spouses to identify and connect with
spouses' clubs across the nation. Check out our
Club Directory here.
We would like to remind all clubs to please register
their club, including new officers, on the National
Council website: www.nationalcouncilofcgsc.org
We are here to help! Our committee members are
excited to connect with you and hear your questions,
ideas, challenges, and stories! Please email us at:
And don’t forget to “like” the National
Council of Coast Guard Spouses’
Clubs on Facebook to stay up to date
on all the latest news!
Are you eligible for the new Blended
Retirement System? Click here to find out
more and here to learn about opt-in
training for spouses too.
Stay up to date on contract changes
to Tricare here and register for email alerts
to stay informed.
Read more about expanded dental
coverage from Tricare as well as
expanded preventative coverage,
including well-women’s exams.
DO YOU HAVE THE APP? Have you downloaded the USCG HSWL app?
This application contains information about the
many quality of life resources available for
Coast Guard personnel, family members, and
retirees. The application includes information on
work-life programs, medical services, chaplain
services, housing, legal assistance, and morale,
well-being, and recreation (MWR) services.
Search USCG HSWL in your app store.
National Council Information