The Family Readiness Group (FRG) associated with the 1-163rd Field Artillery used a grant from the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) to hold its Annual Training Family Day, which helped to build relationships and a sense of unity among those who attended.
More than $2,300 was awarded to the FRG through MFRI's Small Grant Program for Indiana Military-Sponsored Family Support Groups. The competitive grant program was started in 2008, along with MFRI's Community Mobilization Grant Program. Since then, MFRI has awarded more than $88,000 to military-sponsored family support groups in Indiana; the grant to the 1-163rd Field Artillery’s FRG was the most recent.
On June 17, 145 family members were transported to Fort Campbell, Ky., where their soldiers were participating in Annual Training exercises. During the two-hour bus ride, family members learned military lingo, and, after arriving, observed the firing of artillery and howitzer rounds. They also observed the training activities of one of the companies, and soldiers explained the many aspects of their jobs to their loved ones. Afterward, service members and families enjoyed a picnic lunch together.
"Aside from the information that we obtained from the soldiers, the time spent on the bus and then at the picnic site was a welcome experience," one family member wrote in a post-event evaluation. "It allowed us as family members to have common experiences with which to build relationships. When families live scattered across the state, it is difficult to forge a sense of family and closeness, but I, personally, find these times to be the only real opportunities of getting to know each other and wwweloping a real appreciation for what our guys actually do during drill time."
The event also helped the FRG obtain a 35 percent increase in email contacts and a 24 percent increase in Facebook friends, according to the post-event evaluation.
"All this will work toward bringing families together again in the future, whether the FRG obtains a subsequent grant from MFRI or not," said Kathy Broniarczyk, director of outreach at MFRI. "When we read comments like this, we know that we are making an impact, and we are reminded again how very fortunate we at MFRI are to assist families with the opportunity to hold these sorts of events.
MFRI's next small grant cycle for the Small Grant Program for Indiana Military-Sponsored Family Support Groups runs from July 16 through Aug. 13. Applications for Community Mobilization Grants are currently being applications through Aug. 1.