Key Spouse program keeps families connected

  • Published
  • By Sarah Olaciregui
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Duty separations are a fact of life for service members and their families. Extended TDYs, deployments and remote tours leave military spouses and families without their active duty loved ones for weeks, months and sometimes a year or more.

The Air Force realizes it is vital that these families know they are not alone as they face the challenges of these temporary separations and, as a result, the Key Spouse program was created to assist families with the support and information they need.

Hanscom has a team of 13 dedicated volunteer Key Spouses and Key Spouse mentors, as well as seven unit points of contact and first sergeants who participate in the program. Key Spouses establish and maintain contact with families of deployed members, provide information and referral to base and community resources and promote individual, family and unit readiness.

Key Spouses perform an essential role, acting as unit ambassadors and conduits of information to help ease the stress of temporary separations.

"A Key Spouse serves as a liaison between the organization and the spouses," said Dawn Andreucci, Airman and Family Readiness community readiness consultant and Key Spouse program coordinator. "Key Spouses, Key Spouse mentors, organization POCs (points of contact), the 66th Air Base Group commander and the Airman and Family Readiness Center are members of Hanscom's support team."

Although Hanscom has many players, more volunteers are always needed.

A Key Spouse volunteer is usually the spouse of a military member who is willing to share a few hours a month to connect with families of a deployed member. Before being officially appointed, Key Spouse volunteers must attend initial training conducted on base and attend monthly training as their schedules permit. Monthly training topics vary and include Military OneSource resources, helping children cope with separations and reintegration issues.

The Key Spouses also work together to support the A&FRC's monthly Hearts Apart events for families separated due to extended TDYs, deployment or remote tours, as well as help at Hanscom's Heroes Homecoming events and the Installation Commander's Welcome.

The Key Spouses stay in contact with the spouses of deployed members to keep them informed of base and organization functions and other important news they may not otherwise have access to.

"I believe the Key Spouse program is a vital program here at Hanscom," said Deb Leister, a Key Spouse mentor. "We are the eyes and ears for the deployed member, making sure the family is taken care of while the service member is taking care of our nation. We provide continuous contact and provided assistance when needed. This way the deployed member can concentrate on their mission instead of worrying how their family is faring back home. I am pleased to be part of this group and I am always on the lookout for potential Key Spouses to join me in this worthwhile cause."

For more information on the Key Spouse program, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 781-377-4222.