FRG membership includes Soldiers’ families, both immediate and extended, Soldiers, and other interested parties such as fiancés, friends, retirees, employers, and community members. The FRG’s goal is to establish a network that enables family members to effectively gather information, resolve problems, and maintain mutual support, thereby reducing stress associated with military life. An effective FRG recognizes the unit’s mission and supports the needs of the Soldiers and their families.

FRGs undertake projects like developing a telephone tree, providing outreach to family members, sponsoring new families, providing information and referral to military and civilian organizations, recruiting family member volunteers, ensuring FRG volunteers attend training and complete appropriate forms, and periodically publishing a newsletter. To learn more about FRG’s and vFRG’s (virtual Family Readiness Groups), visit the Army virtual FRG.

Volunteers are essential to the operation of FRGs. Families who have been through previous deployments can provide a great deal of information and support to military families. Spouses new to military life, families with young children, and parents of Soldiers all report great benefits from being involved in a FRG. Friendships, positive attitudes, empathy, understanding and personal development are all benefit of participating in FRGs.

The Army Reserve Family Programs staff offers a number of training programs to support families and volunteers who participate in FRGs. The following table summarizes more in depth information which can be found on the Family Programs web portal.

Many volunteers find great satisfaction in supporting Military Families and take pride in the personal development and leadership skills they have acquired through their involvement and training. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, FRGs and training programs, contact your local Family Programs staff person by clicking here.

The American Legion’s Family Support Network is ready to provide immediate assistance to service personnel and families whose lives have been directly affected by Operation Iraqi Freedom and America’s war on terror. Due to deployments, Army Reserve Families often find themselves unable to meet normal monthly expenses, and assistance is needed for a variety of everyday chores. These tasks include grocery shopping, child care, mowing the grass, fixing the family car and other routine household jobs.

To address these issues, The American Legion has a nationwide toll-free telephone number, 1-800-504-4098, for Soldiers and their family members to call for assistance. Applicants can also apply online at the Family Support Network. Calls are referred to The American Legion department, or state, in which the call originated. Departments relay the collected information to a local American Legion post. The local post then contacts the Soldiers or family to see how assistance can be provided locally. Since the creation of the Family Support Network during the first Persian Gulf War, thousands of posts and volunteers have responded to meet these families’ needs. Visit the American Legion to find out more about the Family Support network.

The American Legion has compiled a list of volunteer opportunities that include encouraging Posts to Adopt an Army Reserve Unit, participate in community Troop-Support initiatives and yellow-ribbon campaigns, the Red Cross, USO and donating blood. Check out the American Legion for a list of volunteer opportunities.

The Army Reserve sponsors week long resident camps created just for Army Reserve Families.  The goal for this summer is to sponsor 20 camps and service at least 1,000 Army Reserve youth. The camps will be scattered throughout the U.S., so almost everyone will have one available within driving distance and the camps are FREE for all who qualify.

Army Reserve Enrichment Camps (ARECs) are similar to Operation Purple Camps, but different. While the Purple camps cater to all military branches, the AREC is specifically designed to service Army Reserve Kids. Targeted age groups are generally the same; ages 10-16. This qualification, however, can vary from camp to camp.

The ARECs are one-week resident camps for youth and teens that have a connection with the Army Reserve. Each camp is operated by an accredited campground (YMCA, 4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc), with a full camping curriculum, residential dwellings, meals, and adult supervision. Interjected into the established program will be topics relative to Army Reserve youth and teens, like deployment coping strategies. Also, participants will have an opportunity to share their experiences as military kids, and associate with other youth who have done the same.

If you have children ages 10-16 or know an Army Reserve Family that does, visit the Army Reserve Enrichment Camp for more information as the camps will fill up fast.

YLEAD stands for Youth Leadership, Education and Development. In these four day Youth Leadership Forums, participating teens will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, grasp the meaning of military culture, and understand human diversity.

The idea for the YLEAD actually came from two sources; the Army Reserve Teen Panel (ARTP) and the Army Reserve Army Family Action Plan (AR AFAP) teen work cell. Both groups recognized that Army Reserve teens were scattered all over the country, and needed an opportunity to come together and share their unique experiences. When two separate entities come up with the same basic idea, there has to be some universal karmic truth at work.

Upcoming YLEAD Summit dates are scheduled for Germany, Boston, Baltimore, Portland and Orlando.  To learn more and to register, visit the Army Reserve Family Programs.

A list of dates and events for the 3rd and 4th Quarter is posted on the Army Reserve Family Programs Web Portal. There are seven different types of events that are for the Soldier, the Family only, and the Soldier and the Family together. These events address everything from the Alert Phase to Pre-Deployment to Family Only programs during Deployment and a number of Post Deployment activities.

Check out the schedule for your region and register online at the Yellow Ribbon section of the web portal.