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MFRI Director Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth recognized the value of working collaboratively as she spoke at the Congressional Military Family Caucus Summit, held in Georgia earlier this month.
Attended by representatives from Congress and the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the event focused panels and discussions on issues such as family health, resiliency, spouse employment and education, military child education, transition assistance, retirement, benefits, and financial readiness.
The Military Family Research Institute works daily to support and strengthen communities that work with and for military and veteran families. We believe challenges are eased when organizations work collaboratively designed to meet a broad spectrum of needs.
Challenges for the military and veterans and their families may increase due to anticipated cuts, in not only the size of the military, but also its budget.
“Two things seem clear: One, that families serve right alongside their service members; and two, that in tight financial times, supporting families can seem expensive,” MacDermid Wadsworth said. ”It’s important to remember that doing nothing about family challenges can sometimes cost more than doing something.”
Wadsworth highlighted various MFRI collaborations that help military families more easily find help with needs in higher education, behavioral health, support for children during reintegration, among other needs.
“I was proud to speak about the numerous ways MFRI works tirelessly to form collaborations that can benefit our military service members and their families,” she said.
Earlier in November, MFRI organized the two-day Battlemind to Home Symposium IV in Indianapolis, which was designed to raise attendees’ awareness to issues faced by service members when returning to their families from deployment. MFRI also worked with Purdue University organizations, local businesses and the wider Lafayette community to hold a Stand Down, which provided various services to more than 200 homeless service members in the area.