On July 27, 2009 the U.S. Department of Labor today launched Disability.gov, a redesigned federal Web site that connects the more than 50 million Americans with disabilities to thousands of trusted resources on disability-related issues, programs and services.
Formerly known as DisabilityInfo.gov, the site has been completely redesigned and updated with new social media tools, such as a blog and a Twitter feed, to encourage feedback and interaction among visitors. Disability.gov is not just for Americans with disabilities, but also for parents of children with disabilities, employers, workforce and human resource professionals, veterans, educators, caregivers and many others.
Disability.gov features comprehensive information from 22 federal agencies, as well as educational institutions, non-profit organizations and state and local governments. Topics covered on the site include: benefits; civil rights; community life; education; emergency preparedness; employment; health; housing; technology; and transportation.
OPERATION MILITARY BRAT
presents BRATS: Our Journey Home
The First Documentary About Growing Up Military
Narrated by Kris Kristofferson
23 September, 2009 – FREE SCREENING
6:30 pm
West End Neighborhood Library
1101 24th Street, NW
At L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 724-8707
Use the Foggy Bottom Metro stop
Evening will include the first presentation of the Operation Military Brat Library. A collection of 8 books and 2 films about growing up military. A town-hall meeting with writer-director Donna Musil follows the film.
24 September, 2009 – FREE SCREENING
8:00 pm
Arlington Cinema ‘n Drafthouse
2903 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA
703-486-2345
A town-hall meeting with writer-director Donna Musil follows the film.
When Ohio’s Governor signed the state’s budget bill last Friday, Ohio became the 25th state to enact the compact to work cooperatively with other states to ensure smooth transitions for military children.
The state had been taking a two-track approach to adopting the Compact. In addition to specific Compact legislation (HB 165/SB 115), they also included it in the Governor’s budget (HB1). With the signing of the budget bill, the Compact becomes effective immediately.
Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) gas stations worldwide are helping take the pain out of the pump by increasing discounts for drivers using a Military Star® Card.
Beginning August 8, pumps currently programmed to reflect a discount of three cents a gallon for drivers who pay with a Military Star® Card will jump to five cents a gallon.
In addition to the everyday nickel discount, AAFES will periodically be offering increased savings opportunities at specified times throughout the year. The first of these promotions, from Aug. 21-23, will provide a 20 cents per gallon discount, up to 20 gallons, for drivers paying with a Military Star® Card.
“The savings opportunities are going to be unprecedented,” said AAFES’ Chief Operating Officer Mike Howard. “I’m excited about the exclusive gas savings we’re going to offer Military Star® cardholders in the coming months.”
Authorized exchange shoppers can learn more about the benefits available to Military Star® cardholders at www.aafes.com.
Defense Department officials are preparing to launch the first militarywide survey to assess morale, welfare and recreation programs.
“We’ve established standards for all the services,” said Arthur Myers, principal director for the deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy. “Now we want to get feedback from the [servicemembers] on how we’re doing with our programs.”
Myers’ office is conducting the survey with the help of CFI Group, an international customer-satisfaction consulting firm with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich. It will be e-mailed July 27 to about 600,000 randomly selected servicemembers and will appear as being from CFI Group “on behalf of DoD.”
From the beginning the American Muscle Car Show was set to be more than just a show. Company founders, backed by enthusiastic employees, pushed to give something back to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. The initial goal was to raise $5,000 to Homes for Our Troops, a charity that buys or builds homes for disabled veterans. After two previous donations, the team at AM decided to recruit its customers, vendors, families and friends to join the cause and give to this noble charity at the show.
Corporate partners and employees of AmericanMuscle all contributed to make the effort a success.
Sesame Workshop has been reaching out to military families since the 2006 launch of its Talk, Listen, Connect initiative, and now its latest project, Sesame Rooms, has unveiled a campaign designed to brighten up military spaces for kids with the kinds of Sesame cheer only the Muppets can deliver.
“There are many rooms where military children visit and play that are in need of a little “Sesamization,” says Lynn Chwatsky, Senior Director for Outreach Initiatives and Partners at Sesame Workshop. “We want to revamp some rooms and create a fun, safe place for these kids that can also bring joy and happiness. We’ll be sending a ‘room in a box’ full of some great things such as Sesame toys, games, furniture, wall decor videos and books, so these spaces can get a real Sesame feel.”
The Department of Defense has announced the recipients of the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. The 2009 recipients are:
AeroDyn Wind Tunnel LLC – Mooresville, NC
AstraZeneca International – Wilmington, DE
Cambridge, MA Fire Department – Cambridge, MA
Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc. – North Charleston, SC
First Data Corporation – Greenwood Village, CO
FMC Technologies – Houston, TX
Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Department – Jonesboro, LA
Marks, O’Neil, O’Brien & Courtney, P.C. – Wilmington, DE
Microsoft Corporation – Redmond, WA
Mid America Kidney Stone Association – Kansas City, MO
NetJets – Woodbridge, NJ
Ohio Department of Public Safety – Columbus, OH
Perpetual Technologies, Inc. – Indianapolis, IN
Santa Ana Police Department – Santa Ana, CA
TriWest Healthcare Alliance – Phoenix, AZ
A record 3,200 National Guard and Reserve members or their family members from across the country nominated their supportive employers for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. A national selection board comprised of senior Defense officials and business leaders selected the recipients for this year’s award. The Freedom Award will be presented to these employers during a formal ceremony Thursday, September 17, 2009 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.
More information about the Freedom Award is available at www.FreedomAward.mil or by calling the ESGR office at (800) 336-4590.
In the United States of America, an estimated 5% of its citizens are military “brats”:
15 million adult military brats with at least one career parent
1.5 million current military brats with at least one parent serving in the uniformed services
4.5 million adult brats whose parents served overseas in a capacity other than the uniformed services
“Brats” is an historic and time-honored reference to military children based on the acronym, “British Regimental Attached Troops.” Brats are every age, race, religion, and class, but most Americans don’t even know they exist, except peripherally, as silent appendages to their parents. Operation Military Brat hopes to change all that. Operation Military Brat is an educational outreach program sponsored by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Brats Without Borders. Its mission is to:
Raise the awareness of the challenges facing military brats of all ages;
Acknowledge and celebrate their existence, sacrifices, and contributions; and
Improve the quality of their lives.
Brats Without Borders will launch Operation Military Brat in September 2009 in Washington DC. It will include a series of free screenings across the country of the award-winning film, “BRATS: Our Journey Home,” the first documentary about growing up military, narrated by Air Force brat Kris Kristofferson. After the screenings, Writer-Director and Army brat Donna Musil will host a town-hall meeting with the audience and other brat writers, artists, musicians, and celebrities who join them along the way.
Operation Military Brat will also donate Military Brat Libraries to public libraries that serve large populations of military brats. This one-of-a-kind collection of books and films celebrates and explores the life of a military child.
Before teeing off for the AT&T National pro-am on Wednesday, Tiger Woods and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo stopped to stuff care packages for the troops overseas.
Woods, who’s father, Earl, was in the military, has made honoring servicemen and women an important part of his tournament, which is hosted near the nation’s capital. Lockheed Martin, who sponsored the USO Care Package effort, also is hosting 30,000 military and family members during the event.
