Vermont Family Programs aims to provide education, resources, and support through collaboration with federal, state, and local programs to ensure Service Members, families, Veterans, and the community are knowledgeable and resilient while promoting retention and mission readiness.

The Spring Equinox

April is turning out to be a busy month here at Family Programs. We start the month with the annual “Month of the Military Child” event at the Vermont Statehouse on 3 April. Governor Scott will sign a proclamation that deems April Month of the Military Child. That same week, we have our regular monthly Kitchen Spoons & Combat Boots webinar: Deployment: Are your kids ready? On 4 April. We end the week with a Military Kids Vermont (MKVT) skating party at CAIRNS Saturday, 7 April.

We also have our annual VTNG Family Program Volunteer Conference this month from Friday evening, 20 April through Sunday morning, 22 April. We take this time to train our volunteers and recognize them for their support efforts to our families and service members throughout the year. It is important to recognize these individuals who willingly give their time to help our cause simply because they know it’s the right thing to do. Our volunteers are an invaluable part of our team and are the backbone of Family Readiness.

We finish the month with our MKVT Child & Youth partner camp 23 April through 27 April. Our Child & Youth program presents quality programming that educates our military kids on resiliency, leadership and teamwork. Our MKVT partners include the YMCA and the University of Vermont Extension/4-H.

As April is reflective of volunteers and youth, I look forward to participating in these events and hope to connect with many of you as a result. As always, you can find more information about these events in the following pages of our newsletter.

LTC Dave Leonard

State Family Program Director