The 114th WolfPack
Family Readiness Group
"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength
of the wolf is the pack" -Rudyard Kipling
"If you call one wolf, you invite the pack" -Bulgarian Proverb
Updates!!
Holes for Heroes
Armed Forces Ice Fishing Festival
Medicine Lake
Sat, February 4, 2012
Over $2000 in Prizes
for First, Biggest, Smallest and most in all species.
Many Random Drawings!
Prizes include:
Frabill Sno suits, CLAM houses, Aqua-Vu cameras, Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela's Gift cards.
FREE fishing for veterans and military family members.
Tournaments will be simulcast to active military overseas.
KIDCOVE Ice Fishing Educational Zone for Kids
Color Guard Military Displays, and posting of colors and flag by JROTC
Free HT ice fishing jig sticks for 1st 100 kids
Post Event:
Elks Sponsored Chili Feed Dinner at the Brooklyn Park Lodge 4-7pm.
Register online and/or call for info.
Tom Goodrich-612-987-5466
Inclement Weather:
Go to website for day of details.
Minnesota Zoo
Event: Minnesota Zoo Salutes our Troops
When: November 25-December 31, 2011
Details: Free Zoo admission and parking for military personnel (active, retired, civilian)
Family Members: Receive $2 discount for adults and $1 discount for children/seniors
Proof of military service is required.
Give Army Parents A Break
This program offers 16 hours of childcare, at no cost to families. We would like to do a big push for families who are currently deployed. At this point, there are only 5 NG families who are utilizing this program. Families can use their current childcare provider or find a licensed provider for this program. The provider and the parent will have to fill out the application at
www.naccrra.org.
Atlas Staffing: Looking for Military with Clean Background for Assembly work at a Firearms business in St. Cloud
Atlas Staffing, Inc-a temp agency is looking to place 8-28 people with a Firearms Business in St. Cloud. The company prefers people with a military background. The Accountant Manager for Atlas is hoping to recruit people as soon as possible. Contact info is:
Lori McGuire
Account Manager
Atlas Staffing, Inc.
Cell: 320-250-0493
Office: 320-257-0330
FREE Open Gym Night
for Children of Military Families!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
1:00-3:00 PM
TNT Kid's Fitness & Gymnastics Academy
2800 Main Avenue, Fargo, ND
Snacks will be provided by U.S. Bank
Please RSVP to:
or call 701.365.8868
Ages 2-18 (Ages 5 & under must be accompanied by an adult)
All parents/guardians must sign a waiver form when dropping off children
If your child has special needs or needs one-on-one attention, a provider or parent/guardian must be present
Chelsea Inn & Suites is pleased to announce
Operation Valentine
an Open House for those serving in our Nation's Armed Forces and their families....
Sunday, Feb. 19th, 2012
Best Western Chelsea Inn and Suites
89 Chelsea Road, Monticello, MN
763-271-8880
3:00-7:00pm
You Will Need To Show Your Military ID Or Service Orders At The Time Of Check In!
You are invited to spend the night at the Special Room Rate of $39.oo plus tax! No School on Monday (Holiday!)
Reserve your room today by calling Best Western Chelsea Inn & Suites of Monticello
763-271-8880
Events for the day include:
*Massages by Healing Touch*
*Pampering by Mary Kay 3-6pm*
*Door Prizes*
*Snack Bar 3-5pm*
*FREE Family Dinner 5-7pm (compliments of Chin Yuen Restaurant)*
*FREE Photo Session 4-6pm (compliments of Magic Moments Photography)
*Games, Movies, Swimming & More!!!*
We hope you can join us!
Please R.S.V.P. by Feb. 16th for either the Open House festivities and/or to Spend the Night!
Support Our Military Families!
This is the 6th Annual Operation Valentine. If your business would like to participate by donating door prizes for this event, please contack Perry at the Best Western Chelsea Inn & Suites for more information. Call 763-271-8880 or email
pdsloneker@aol.com by February 16, 2012
Honor the Healer
Honor the Healer is a free conference put on by Zero To Three. Participants will learn about self-care, find solutions to manage fatigue and burnout, improve professional well-being, and ways to manage stress. Those supporting military families in healthcare, early childhood education, family support and mental health are welcome to attend.
When: January 10, 2012 0800-1600
Where: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel
1500 Park Place Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55416
For Registration Questions, Contact:
Secely Smith
202-63801144
Tutor.com
Tutor.com for Military Families is the Department of Defense's online, on-demand tutoring and homework help service; offering students a connection to a live tutor for individualized one-to-one academic assistance in over 20 subjects in math, science, social studies and Englkish from Kindergarten to 12th grade and introductory college level.
NEW! The program is free for eligible military families, including ALL Active Duty families, National Guard families and Reserve families; regardless of deployment status! Previously, the program was available solely for Guard and Reserve families in a deployed status. You can see a demonstration of how the Tutor.com for Military Families service works by going to
www.tutor.com/military and clicking the "Watch a Video" link. Then, connect in just a few minutes with an expert tutor for help with any academic question, from any computer with internet access, anywhere in the world, 24/7.
Tutor.com fast facts:
-K-12 students get live, individualized help with questions in all subjects of math, science, social studies and English. Stay for a longer help session whenever you need it, or just get your homework checked!
-Use the ProofPoint center for real-time proofreading of any piece of writing.
-Use Tutor.com for Military Families to prepare for standardized tests, SAT, ACT, and the academic portions of the ASVAB.
-College level and adult students going back to school have access to help with "core" math, English, science, and social studies/history coursework.
-Access to over 2500+ tutors who have all passed a seven-year criminal background check as well as subject matter and communication exams. Find your favorites and reconnect to them in the future.
-98% of Tutor.com for Military Families users say that they would recommend Tutor.com to a friend.
-iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch users can have convenient homework sessions from their mobile devices using Tutor.com ToGoT. More information about the popular mobile app can be found at
http://www.tutor.com/togoIf you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer Marsh, Client Services Manager at Tutor.com, at 210-888-0798 or by email at
jmarsh@tutor.com
The American Red Cross: The Coming Home Series
The American Red Cross is pleased to present the Coming Home Series, Presented by Walmart, dedicated to our country's service men and women and their families and loved ones. Our goal is to support and ease the transition home:
-The Coming Home Series, Presented by Walmart focuses on individual/small group discussion that enhances the likelihood of positive reconnections among family members and the successful reengagement of the service member in civilian life.
-The series consists of a number of topic areas that service members and their families have found relevant to their experience as they transition back home. Some of these include: managing anger, supporting children, building communication, reconnecting with others, and recognizing PTSD & TBI and other topics critical to reunion adjustment.
-This series is designed to assist those impacted by a military deployment and bridges all branches of the Armed Forces. We invite Reserve, National Guard, active duty service members, veterans, and their families, including spouses, parents, siblings and significant others, to participate.
-Participants will be able to choose the topic they are most interested in from the available options; sessions and materials focus on learning useful tools, effective coping mechanisms and where to find resources.
Common Questions:
1. How will this be helpful? Facilitators will provide useful, individualized information on how to strengthen your ability to approach the challenges you may be facing. Knowing what to expect and considering specific strategies can help service members and their families take care of themselves and manage this transition home.
2. Why this series? This series was developed to complement the Coping with Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families course which provides strategies for building resiliency and coping with deployment challenges across the deployment cycle. This new series has a unique focus on reunification and reintegration and provides hands-on tools.
3. Who are the facilitators? Actively licensed and specially trained Red Cross mental health volunteers will facilitate discussions on selected topic areas.
4. How much does it cost and what is the time commitment? This series is free, is taught in a confidential environment and is designed to be offered in small group settings. Each topic will last between 1.5 and 2 hours, based on participant need, and there may be the opportunity for more follow up meetings.
5. What are the module topics? Participants can choose from the following module topics: Communicating Clearly, Exploring Stress and Trauma, Identifying Depression, Relating to Children, and Working Through Anger.
Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces
Attention all Warrior Citizens, Veterans, and Family Members!!!
Employment Opportunities Are Just A Website Away
To begin your job search, click on the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces job search button and start looking for a career today for that job or that better job!
You will be provided a user name and password within 24 hours, but you can start to look at the great jobs now. Just register and start looking.
There are over 750,000 job postings from close to 2000 employers on our website!
For more information please contact your Program Support Manager for Minnesota, Wisconsin, North & South Dakota
Renee Chase
(910)572-8379-Cell), (612)713-3466-Office)
KSTP story
It's about scammers targeting military families of deployed soldiers.
Apply For The Minnesota Military Teen Panel
Basic Qualifications:
*Be a family member of an actively serving U.S. Service Member (all branches) in Minnesota
*Be a member in good standing within their school community
*Be ages 13-17 during the 2011-2012 school term
*Maintain a grade point average of "C" or better in school or have a letter of support from an educator
Basic Responsibilities:
*Attend up to four meetings annually!
*Serve a minimum of 50 hours/year with Military and/or community activities!
*Work with fellow teans to develop innovative programs and opportunities!
*Inform Military Leadership about the needs of teens!
Apply Today!
ADAPT
The ADAPT (After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools) project at the University of Minnesota has a limited number of spots to join for this upcoming summer. Sign-up now.
WHO can take part: All National Guard and Reserve members/families who have returned from deployment in the last few years and who have kids between the ages of 5-12 years.
WHAT can you expect:
*Either parent (or both) can take part-it isn't only for the soldiers themselves.
*ADAPT provides concrete parenting tools to help parents cope with the stresses that accompqany deployment.
*This is a resilience-based project that is designed for all families. You don't have to be experiencing any problems at all.
*By law, your confidentiality is completely protected and only UMN researchers will know who takes part and who doesn't.
*All families are paid for their time (please see website for more information)
ADAPT Program
After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools
Department of Family Social Science
About ADAPT:
ADAPT is a study that is being run through the Department of Family Social Services at the University of Minnesota.
We are working to better understand how to support Minnesota National Guard and Reserve families as they cope with the stress of deployment.
Our Mission:
We hope to learn from you about how to best support military families. We strive to support the military by providing resources for individual families as well as for their surrounding communities. We hope to develop programming that will benefit future military families.
Get Involved:
If you are a parent who has at least one child between the ages of 5-12 years and at least one of the parents has been deployed, please contact us to find out more about being a part of our project.
Families will participate in four interviews over a two-year period of time. Some families will be invited to attend a 14 week parenting program.
Visit our website and sign up for monthly newsletters written by our team of experts. You can also find past newsletters on the site.
www.cehd.umn.edu/fsos/adaptBenefits to You:
Your family will receive between $400-$635 over the course of the study. Your family may be invited to participate in a free 14-week parenting program located in your community. Your participation will inform future family programming.
612.624.4830
Military Mondays at Apple Place Bowl
Starting Moday, May 2nd, all service personnel Bowl Free, at Apple Place Bowl, 14917 Garrett Ave., Apple Valley on Mondays. Retired, Active, Reserves, All branches of the military, with ID. Shoes are only $2.00. They have 24 lanes, with automatic scoring and an excellent food and beverage menu too! The lanes are available from 1800-0100 hours. This offer is good through August 2011. Please call for reservations at 952-891-0104. We are looking forward to serving you, and we thank you for Your Service. For more info, check their website,
www.BogartsPlace.com.
FREE Homework Help
Military Families Get FREE Homework Help, Career Help
Eligible military families get free homework help, online tutoring and career help from Tutor.com for Military Families, a program provided by the Department of Defense. It is available at no charge to military families and allows K-12, college and adult students to connect to a live tutor online at anytime for help with homework, studying, test prep, resume' writing and more.
Access to the program is free and unlimited 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All students worldwide can use the program, regardless of where they attend school. Eligible military members can get details and create an account at
www.tutor.com/military.
For questions or additional details, please contact:
Kara Froman
Tutor.com
phone: 678-515-3667
2011 Military Vacations Stays
In 2011 the accommodation's members of the Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in Walker, MN will once again be offering free vacations to enlisted personnel who are returning from serving overseas. Here are the guidelines that the committee has set:
Having been deployed or returned from being deployed in the past year or two.
Must have served in one of the following MN based services:
MN Air Guard, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Marine/Navy Reserve and the full-time national Guard Soldiers.
Cannot have received a free Military Vacation before.
Vacation stay must be used during 2011.
Includes immediate family only--spouse and children under 18.
There will be a $200 deposit that will be refunded upon arrival.
There will be fees for extra people, pets, boats, etc...
To receive one of the vacations call the Leech lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 218-547-1313 or email
info@leech-lake.com. The staff will go through the guidelines and then collect the family's name and contact information. The chamber staff will give the family the contact information for a resort that is offering vacation stays in 2011. From that point on the family will work with the resort to book a stay and get all necessary information about that resort.
Veteran Parenting Toolkit:
Together Building Strong Families
Five age-based parenting toolkits for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans and their partners
Infants (0-12 months)
Toddlers (1-3 years)
Preschoolers (3-5 years)
Elementary School-age (6-12 years)
Teenagers (13-18 years)
Each parenting toolkit addresses the following topics:
-Did you know? (Interesting facts about children this age)
-Cognitive, social, and physical development
-Reconnecting with your child after deployment
-How to talk to your child about deployment
-Strengthening your relationship with your child
-Managing common behavioral challenges
-Red flags for concern
-Taking care of yourself as a parent
-Reconnecting with your partner after deployment and communication tips for couples
-Resource guide
WARNING TO VETERANS
An organization called Veterans Affairs Services (VAS) is providing benefit and general information on VA and gathering personal information on veterans. This organization is not affiliated with VA in any way.
[Websites with the name "vaservices" immediately after the "www" ARE NOT part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the US Government agency. Do not go to them or if approached or called, do not offer them any information concerning yourself or data on other veterans. Keep in mind that the real VA website ends in .gov. Also, be aware that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not randomly call veterans, nor does it ask veterans for information which it does not already have--like Social Security Numbers. In particular, if you have not dealt with the VA previously--and in person--and all of a sudden, you receive a call from someone saying they are with the VA or something similar sounding, hang up the phone. Also, do not respond to emails which suggest that they are from the VA. The VA never conducts official business nor asks for personal information by email.
VAS may be gaining access to military personnel through their close resemblance to the VA name and seal. Our Legal Counsel has requested that we coordinate with DoD to inform military installations, particularly mobilization sites, of this group and their lack of affiliation or endorsements by VA to provide any services.
In addition, GC requests that if you have any examples of VAS acts that violate chapter 59 of Title 38 United States Code, such as VAS employees assisting veterans in preparation and presentation of claims for benefits, please pass any additional information to Mr. Daugherty at the address below.
Michael G. Daugherty
Staff Attorney
Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of General Counsel (022G2)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Reminder: We are looking for new FRG Leaders (Leader, Secretary, Calling Tree)
The above link is a video from one of the 114th's missions.
Here is another link to the webite of the reporter who traveled with the 114th TC.
Cauley and Other Soldiers' stories/Videos
For Cauley and other soldiers' stories/videos go to www.wdio.com and click on "War of their own".
