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Committed to improving contact for family members and their deployed loved ones, the 7th Civil Support Command christened a new Yellow Ribbon Room Feb. 11 with the help of a special visitor from Washington, D.C.
Laura Stultz, wife of Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, commanding general of the Army Reserve, and Karen Hendrix, wife of Brig. Gen. Mark Hendrix, commanding general of the 7th CSC, cut the ribbon to unveil the long awaited room for all in attendance.
Laura Stultz said that over the past year there have been two programs that are valued most by Army Reserve families: the Strong Bonds Program and the Yellow Ribbon Program. The Strong Bonds Program works directly with Soldiers and their spouses to build a cohesive marriage, while the Yellow Ribbon Program supports military families during deployments.
“I understand that this Yellow Ribbon Room will have information for our families at all times. Rooms like this help get information effectively to our families during pre-deployment all way through post-deployment,” Laura Stultz said.
“I am very proud you are doing this for families. I wish we could have rooms like this at all of our Army Reserve centers, which may be something for our future Army Strong Community Centers,” she said.
“The effort of converting an office into a family-friendly enterprise took months of planning and lots of hard work leading up to the actual dedication by all members of my staff,” said James Mandley, the director of 7th CSC Family Programs.
“Mrs. Patricia Boswell, the community outreach assistant, and Mrs. Merelle Rodriguez, the family readiness support assistant for the 7th CSC Family Programs office, work tirelessly at every event to show our families how important they are to this organization,” Mandley said.
The 7th CSC Family Programs office felt the need to develop the room in order to provide a more specified place for family members who may need more direct support than they are currently getting and provide referral services for other issues families may need to address while their loved ones are away from home.
“The long-term plan with the Yellow Ribbon Room is to expand it and create a little room for the kids to play, which we do not have right now,” Mandley said.
Authorized by U.S. Army Europe Reg. 608-2, the Yellow Ribbon Room will be open to all family members to contact their Soldiers on deployment, while providing a place where volunteer family readiness group members can meet to discuss and develop upcoming events and fundraisers.
