FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
Military spouses spend a lot of their time supporting their Service members through attending unit functions, holding down the fort during deployments and, most importantly, by showing love and gratitude for their husbands and wives.
Despite hectic schedule and family commitments, many spouses still find time to extend the service-wide dedication to the nation through volunteer events in their communities and beyond. The Fort Eustis Spouses' Club maintains this spirit through numerous fundraisers, morale events and charities.
Recently, they've focused their efforts on Project Prom, a program for nearby Woodside High School, designed to give girls and boys the opportunity to go to prom, regardless of their financial constraints. In addition, the FESC donates business attire so seniors looking for jobs after high school have something to wear to interviews, or other professional events like in-school internships and extracurricular business programs.
"Without our communities, we would be lost. I think military families as a whole really understand that concept, so naturally we want to build those up," said Holly Dailey, FESC honorary vice president. "All of the spouses at Fort Eustis put that enthusiasm into practice via [Project Prom]."
The majority of the Fort Eustis community's teenagers attend WHS, and the FESC members understand what it means to struggle to make ends meet and still give children the chance to be kids.
"During this recent downturn in the economy, we want to make sure our community's high school students could be just that: high school students," said Dailey. "We don't want them worrying about money - we want them to enjoy being kids."
FESC donations comprised more than 50 percent of the total donations this year, said Gracie Aponte-Hart, Project Prom sponsor.
"Together with Menchville High School, Project Prom helped 18 kids go to prom nearly free of charge," said Aponte-Hart. "The donations weren't just the clothes- the [FESC] and others donated money to help the young ladies and gentlemen with haircuts, accessories, tickets and anything else they needed for that perfect prom experience."
Aponte-Hart hopes to see the program grow across the northern Hampton Roads area, and with dedicated spouses from the FESC, Fort Eustis will be there every step of the way.
To donate, contact Dailey at 660-2142 or email hollydailey@bajabb.com.