LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Virginia –
Every Tuesday at 9 a.m., the Family Support Center sponsors a Children’s Play Group in the Bethel Chapel where 1- through 5-year-olds can interact.
Some of them build castles with blocks, some drive toy cars around imaginary cities, and some play house with the toy kitchenette in the chapel nursery -- but as a whole, they are learning valuable interpersonal skills so they can grow up to be mentally and physically healthy members of society.
At the same time, their parents -- mostly mothers -- are developing their own interpersonal skills.
Robyn Morris, wife of Staff Sgt. Nick Morris, has been to five Air Force bases in her husband’s career; each time she has used a Family Support Center Play Group to make friends and network with other military parents in the community.
“It’s nice because they have a good schedule ... story time, play time, snack time,” she said. “I’ve made a few friends here.”
The group is not just for moms, although a look around the room may suggest differently. Its recent move from the Youth Center to the chapel is another step in helping moms and dads make new friends and have a healthy environment for their children to play.
According to Jacqualine Thomas, one of the Family Support Center’s lead community readiness consultants, the play group is also a good place for moms and dads with deployed spouses to come for support.
“Connection is critical for support,” she said. “Most people don’t have family in the area, people to talk to or a good support structure when their spouse is deployed.”
The Children’s Play Group is only one of the Family Support Center’s many programs.
“This is one of the best one-stop center’s for family members,” Mrs. Thomas said. “We are an essential point for assessing peoples needs. We are continuously adapting to meet the identified needs of customers.”
The Family Support Center staff issues community assessment surveys every two years along with feedback and evaluation forms to determine the best programs to help Langley families. They also accept ideas from family members at any time.
The most popular class offered at Family Support is Transition Assistance Program, commonly called TAP. The five-day program routinely has 100 members per class.
Other beneficial programs include budgeting classes and Air Force Aid.
Airman 1st Class Andrew Wilson is just one Langley member who benefited immensely from a budgeting class. In 2005, he found himself deep in debt. On the first and 15th of each month, he would see his pay come and go. What little he had left over after payday was spent frivolously without much thought for the future.
Then he decided to take control of his finances. Through the Financial Peace University held at the Langley Chapel, he learned how to spend his money wisely, get out from under debt, and save for the future by paying himself first.
“I will be a millionaire by the time I retire,” Airman Wilson now declares.
Among the décor of Mrs. Thomas’ office are bookshelves full of binders on everything from credit, finance and debt relief to parenting, marriage and divorce. According to Mrs. Thomas, “No matter what you are going through there is a program here for everyone.”