Hanscom Airman and Family Readiness Center named best in AF

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gilmartin
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  The 2007 Air Force Mission Support Awards board confirmed what many at Hanscom have known all along - that Hanscom's Airman and Family Readiness Center is the best in the Air Force.

The Air Force announced Nov. 30 that Hanscom's Airman and Family Readiness Center is the winner in the small base category, joining Osan AB, Korea, the winner in the large category, as the service's best for 2007.

"Being recognized as the best in the Air Force is something most of us just dream about," said Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing commander. "This is well deserved recognition for an awesome team that always goes above and beyond to support our work force, our deployers and our families. To win this award in such a challenging year as this is even more impressive. We deployed more people from Hanscom this year than ever before and there were significant fiscal constraints, but the center still achieved incredible results in providing important services across the board."

During the year, the center prepared 188 deployees for the largest mobilization in base history, ensuring every military member was wartime ready. During three base readiness exercises leading up to last June's Operational Readiness Inspection, the Airman and Family Readiness team efficiently processed more than 400 deploying troops, reducing their station's processing time by 75 percent.

Recognizing the stress family members face when a military member deploys, the center worked with a local community Rotary Club to fund a day of treatments at a spa for spouses of deployed troops. The center's "Homefront Heroes" program raised and disbursed more than $12,000 worth of goods and services for families separated by deployments, for use both during the deployment and following a return home. The staff also automated its post-deployment reintegration appointment notification, ensuring no returnee or family missed out on the reunion and reintegration briefing so vital to ensuring a smooth transition.

In a year when the military and civilian work force was shrinking due to budget cuts, the center held three job fairs at Hanscom, bringing together 150 employers with 750 job seekers, ultimately resulting in 90 people being hired.

Preparing military members who are separating from the service for the job search ahead, the center sponsors monthly Transition Assistance Seminars. The value of these seminars is well known, leading them to be 100 percent full at least one month prior to the class being held.

During the award period, the center held 281 seminars on subjects ranging from financial fitness to résumé writing. One of the most popular was a "financial fitness lunch and learn seminar" entitled "How I became a Millionaire on Active Duty," an investment and savings presentation by Retired Master Sgt. Randy Hatem.

To help Hanscom newcomers become familiar with public transportation in the area, the center sponsored several "T Adventures," combining a tour of Boston with an orientation of urban transportation on the city's T system.

"The list of the Hanscom Airman and Family Readiness Center's accomplishments for the past year is remarkable," Colonel Schluckebier said. "We are all extremely lucky to have the center here supporting us. If you've never taken advantage of the many programs offered there, I urge you to take another look, because there is literally something for everyone."

"I am so proud of the great people who work here," said Dr. Sondra Albano, director of the award-winning center. "Not only are they dedicated to providing the best services possible to the people of Hanscom, but they are continuously improving themselves through professional development, pursuing advanced degrees in their spare time. It's rewarding to see their hard work recognized by being named best in the Air Force."