Year of the Air Force Family spotlighted base’s many family-friendly programs Published Aug. 24, 2010 By Kimberly L. Wright Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Though the Year of the Air Force Family recently concluded, the effects of the year will likely last beyond the celebration. The themed year, launched in July 2009, emphasized programs already in place on bases and informed Airmen and their families about new programs. In addition to the plethora of family programs normally available at Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex through agencies such as the Airman and Family Readiness Center and the Family Advocacy Program, two new short-term initiatives, DePLAYment and YoAFF Your Way, complemented the year. Through YoAFF Your Way, Maxwell received $18,000 to enhance family-friendly programs on base, said Derrick Sanders, chief of the family support branch at the Airman and Family Readiness Center. The funds paid for equipment for Maxwell and Gunter play groups, the storytime rooms at Maxwell and Gunter libraries and a family area at the fitness center. A program designed to make family-friendly activities free or reduced-price for families of deployed service members, DePLAYment proved to be popular with the Maxwell-Gunter community. The program helped military families stay connected to the base during their family member's deployment and also helped with the reintegration process when a military member returned home. According to data from the Airman and Family Readiness Center, 944 Maxwell-Gunter community members participated in DePLAYment. The 240 families received $219,922 in savings since the start of the program on Feb. 1, an average of $36,653.66 per month. Feedback collected by the Airman and Family Readiness Center, illustrated the reasons DePLAYment was so popular: "It made our summer," said Pamela Bond. "We would never have been able to afford doing all the things with our children that we have because of this program." Tech. Sgt. Norman Padilla Cruz noted, "I hope Maxwell AFB and the rest of the Air Force keep developing and promoting programs like this. It gave my family the opportunity to do something fun and allowed us to bond again." Though DePLAYment ended July 31, the program's fate is uncertain. Data from Maxwell and other bases is being compiled and reviewed by leadership, Mr. Sanders said. "Maxwell's response may be integral" in whether the program is revived, he said. Participation in Maxwell's DePLAYment program led the Air Education and Training Command and was 12th in the Air Force. The Year of the Air Force Family also helped base agencies find ways to better work together to serve families while eliminating duplication of effort, said Mr. Sanders. Nerissa Keeler, Educational and Developmental Intervention Services program manager/special educator and current IDS chair, concurred. "The Year of the Air Force Family has been a great way to energize the members of the Integrated Delivery Systems in understanding the importance of their role in the Air Force community," she said. Monthly spotlight events, including courses, expos, contests and other awareness events throughout the Year of the Air Force Family kept the emphasis strong. Among those was the Key Spouse Symposium hosted by Suzie Schwartz, the wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, in October 2009, and the Military Saves Forum in February. The Key Spouse Program is a formal commander and first sergeant program in which spouses mentor other spouses, providing a link between families and the programs available to support them, as well as a means to bring issues to the attention of leadership. The timing of the Key Spouse Program, which launched alongside but was not affiliated with the Year of the Air Force Family, "turned out to be a good thing because it became a catalyst," Mr. Sanders said, tapping into the same family consciousness that the Year of the Air Force Family sought to emphasize. "This has been such an wonderful year with the Year of the Air Force Family, the Key Spouse Program and the DePLAYment program coming together to strengthen Maxwell Air Force Base, our community," said Maj. Kathryn Brown, the 42nd Force Support Squadron commander. "We are so proud of the incredible momentum that has been built over this past year and we're committed to sustaining it. Maxwell's motto is 'The best hometown in the Air Force.' This year has reinforced that fact."