FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Jan. 12, 2018) – The following Fort Leonard Wood announcements are for the week of Jan. 15 through 19. Correction: The Fort Leonard Wood Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon is on Jan. 26 and not Jan. 25 as previously stated.
Jan. 26
Fort Leonard Wood remembers Martin Luther King Jr.
The Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood Martin Luther King Jr. Observance and Luncheon is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Jan. 26, at the Pershing Community Center. Waynesville Mayor Luge Hardman will serve as guest speaker. Tickets are $12 and are available through the brigade Equal Opportunity advisors or the Installation Equal Opportunity Office. Organizers are seeking local veterans to help with the ceremony by reading portions of King’s “I have a dream” speech. For more information on the event or to volunteer to help with the ceremony, please call 573.596.0601.
Feb. 5
USO to bring baby shower back
The USO and What to Expect are partnering for a sixth year to host baby showers for military moms-to-be around the globe, with a shower for Fort Leonard Wood scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 5 at the installation’s USO facility. Heidi Murkoff, the best-selling author of the “What to Expect” book series and founder of the What to Expect Foundation hosts each event in conjunction with a local USO center. The showers provide a touch of home for moms-to-be who are often away from their families, friends and support networks during their pregnancies. A major retailer joins the Special Delivery team this year, contributing gift cards to every attendee gift bag, which includes items for parent and baby. Also, each attendee will receive a book from the “What to Expect” series and the opportunity for a book signing and personalized advice from Murkoff, compliments of What to Expect. Nearly 10,000 military spouses and expectant active-duty mothers have been served through this program since it was launched in 2013. In 2017, the Special Delivery Program hosted 32 events across three continents —21 showers, nine reunions and two showers for expecting fathers.
Introducing ‘Show Me Fort Leonard Wood’
Fort Leonard Wood’s Public Affairs Office has teamed up with a talented group of volunteers to bring new and exciting products to those wishing to learn more about the installation, the area, and even military life in general. A blog titled, “Show Me Fort Leonard Wood: Your one-stop guide to everything Fort Leonard Wood,” is the first product unveiled and has recently been released on WordPress. The blog’s main author, Amanda Sullivan, PAO volunteer and military spouse, said the blog is mostly geared toward new and veteran spouses, service members and families of Soldiers in training on the installation. Pulling from her own experiences and backed by research, Sullivan said she is trying to answer all of the questions she had before moving to Fort Leonard Wood, and even to her first duty station as a spouse, to create an in-depth list of topics. “Show Me Fort Leonard Wood” can be found at showmefortleonardwood.wordpress.com, with new items scheduled to be posted on Mondays and Fridays. Those wishing to follow along can sign up via email on the blog site to receive notification when new items are posted. Readers are also encouraged to suggest topics they feel need to be addressed.
AER scholarship applications available
The Army Emergency Relief Scholarship Program for dependents is now taking applications for the 2018-2019 academic year. AER Scholarships benefit Army families as they are always grants and not loans. In the Fort Leonard Wood local community, AER provided 61 scholarships worth $145,995 to 42 children and 19 spouses. The awarded scholarships range from $250 to $3,000. The Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program is for dependent children of Soldiers (active duty, retired and deceased). AER’s Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program is for full-time students at an undergraduate, technical or vocational institution accredited by the Department of Education and is awarded annually up to four academic years. The AER Spouse Scholarship Program is for spouses of active duty and retired Soldiers, and widows(ers) of Soldiers who died either on active duty or in a retired status, and are residing in the United States. All spouses must be registered DEERS, which can be verified at 800.538.9552. Starting Jan 2018, spouses can apply for scholarships online at any time during the year, if there are special circumstances, such as PCS/change of residence or geographic separation. Applications for the 2018-2019 AER scholarships will be available online until May 1 at AER’s website www.aerhq.org. Other requirement deadlines are in the instructions. Applicants must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and submit the Student Aid Report to AER. Since AER is not an education institution, the applicant must send AER a copy after they receive it. AER will notify applicants about their scholarship during the first week of June.
CFC comes to a close
The CFC provides federal employees with the opportunity to donate to charities via a one-time donation or payroll deduction. Aside from financial contributions, donors can also now donate volunteer hours to charity and federal retirees can participate. To date, Fort Leonard Wood federal employees have raised $54,590 from 170 donors and 17 volunteer hours have been pledged. “(The) CFC remains the largest and most successful workplace charitable activity in the world and is the only charitable organization solicitation of federal employees authorized by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management,” said Stuart Saulpaugh, Fort Leonard Wood loan executive to the Gateway CFC. The CFC was organized more than 55 years ago and has since become one of the most successful workplace giving campaigns in the world. Since 1961, federal employees have raised $8.2 billion for charity, Neuman-Howe, said.
Get ready to vote in 2018
January is the time to make sure you are ready to vote in the upcoming 2018 elections in your state of legal residence. State primaries will begin in March. Most states require absentee voters to register each year; so even if you have voted absentee in the past you will need to request to vote absentee again this year. For most service members, your legal voting residence should be within the state listed on your Leave and Earnings Statement. For active duty members of the Uniformed Services and their eligible family members, the Federal Post Card Application is the key to applying to register to vote while simultaneously requesting absentee ballots for the calendar year. The Federal Voting Assistance Program makes it easy. You can go online at www.fvap.gov, select your state of legal residence and use the FVAP Online Assistant to complete your Federal Post Card Application. This will let you register to vote, request your absentee ballot and/or change your address while providing you with all of your state-specific information and requirements. The Installation Voting Assistance Office is available to provide information and assistance to all who are eligible to vote (U.S. citizen, 18 years old) on Fort Leonard Wood. The office is located in Dillard Hall, Building 470, Room 2226. The hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 573.596.0741.
For more information, contact the Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office at 573.563.4145.