A Blue Star Families Neighbor Do-It-Yourself Project

Instructions, timeline, and useful tips to host a successful event.

AN APPRECIATION EVENTK I TS FO R M I L I TA RY FA M I L I E S

On behalf of the military families you have chosen to support through this effort, let us first say Thank You! Your actions will impact military families in your community and will convey your collective appreciation for their service and sacrifice. Active duty families feel the stress of having an absent loved one or from making frequent moves and this event will provide them with a much needed diversion and a tangible sign of the community’s support.

Your efforts in taking on this DIY project are appreciated by all of us at Blue Star Families. It has been said that the strength of our country is our military, the strength of our military is its soldiers, and the strength of our soldiers is their families. By supporting military families, you are taking an active role in defending our nation. Not everyone serves in uniform. You are serving through your volunteerism.

In this DIY Toolkit, you will find everything you need to design and implement a service project on behalf of military families in your community. You may be hosting a pizza party for families, a Mother’s Day lunch, or a special outing to a concert or sporting event. Whatever activity you sponsor, the outcome will be a special event and the positive feelings that come from being actively engaged in your community.

Included are guidelines for:• How to Host a

Successful Event • How to connect with

Blue Star Families in your community

• Sample Welcome Letter for your Volunteers and Supporters

• Project Timeline• Sample Social Media

Post & Press Release• BSF Logos

WELCOME

Let'S get started!

Let Blue Star Families know you plan to host an Appreciation Event.

Contact Suzi Guardia the Blue Star Families Senior Advisor for Neighbor Engagement at sguardia@bluestarfam.org so that she can connect you with a chapter located near you. She can provide some pointers and give you more information about how to connect with military families in your area.

Determine the date, structure, venue(s), and size of the event.

Start developing an event plan well in advance of when you’d like to host the gathering, ideally at least 2-3 months beforehand. It may take a significant amount of lead time to identify and reserve appropriate venues. You will need to allow enough time to support your budget and recruit volunteers, as well as publicize the event to local military families.

Date: Choose wisely and be mindful of local community calendars.

If hosting a Mother’s Day event, you may choose a date in May. However, the event could honor moms at any time of year. Think broadly and be open to alternatives.

The event may run 2-3 hours, so be sure to pick a time suitable for an event of this duration, such as a weekend.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Appreciation Kit

How to Host a Successful Event

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Appreciation Kit

Structure and Venue(s):

One ideal structure to consider is a pair of simultaneous, fun activities for participating adults and their kids, followed by a meal bringing everyone together.

• For the moms, consider offering a relaxing spa or beauty treatment (e.g. a manicure-pedicure, massage, or hair appointment). For dads, maybe a sporting event.

• For the kids, consider an art session providing the opportunity to create a special gift for the adults. You could offer the chance to paint on a canvas (e.g. a portrait of mom or a special family memory), or offer one or more crafts such as stationery-, jewelry-, or paper flower-making.

The activity could be hosted in a local art studio, a business such as Paper Source offering workshops, or in another public space.

• For the meal, consider a brunch, lunch, tea, or dinner at a family-friendly restaurant. This provides a great opportunity to socialize and lets the kids present the gifts they’ve made!

Consider identifying a single venue that can host all activities or multiple venues that are within walking distance of each other. A hotel, mall, or other shopping area may be an ideal location.

Size:

Based on the numbers your venue can accommodate and your budget, determine how many participants you will host. This will depend on your event plan and could be a targeted opportunity for a few families or a large event for many.

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Enlist community support.

• Secure event sponsors and raise funds if needed. Consider selecting a venue that is willing to donate its services or provide them at a discount. If funds are still needed for your event budget, try asking local businesses to sponsor or allowing friends, family, and community members to contribute.

• Recruit volunteers: Opportunities to help will depend on your event plan. Volunteers could be given the opportunity to assist in securing sponsorships, planning event activities, coordinating gifts, and/or managing activities the day of the event.

Promote the event to local military families.

Draft a blurb and/or flyer with all key event details. (Who? What? Where? When?)

If you are including kids as well as moms in the gathering, make sure to specify what ages you can accommodate (i.e. children that are old enough to participate in the kids’ activity you select).

Blue Star Families will help you identify your audience and spread the word.

Appreciation Kit

STEP 4:

STEP 5:

Determine if you would like to provide participants with a goody bag or special gift.

This could be anything from a bouquet of flowers to a gift basket or gift certificate.

STEP 3:

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Take care of any needed preparations for each of your activities.

• For any elements of the event you or volunteers are handling, make sure all preparations have been made (planning of specific activities, ordering of supplies, collection of donations for goody bags, etc.)

• For any elements that a host venue is coordinating, ensure that your point of contact and all staff supporting the event are clear on how everything should run. (If working with a spa or salon, for example, what treatments will the moms select from? If a restaurant is coordinating the meal, you’ll want to ask about options for any participants with dietary restrictions and ensure child-friendly options are available if kids are participating in the event. Consider choosing a restaurant that will work with you to put together a set menu.)

Appreciation Kit

STEP 7:

Invite participating families to the event.

A nice invitation is a lovely touch! Consider sending a formal, hard copy invitation or an electronic invite through a site like Paperless Post.

Either way, make sure participants are clear on any special instructions and have your contact information in the event any questions come up. (e.g. If the event is happening across multiple venues, where should they arrive? What is parking like?)

STEP 6:

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Host the event.

Make sure you have adequate volunteers on hand (particularly to help manage the kids’ activity), and take plenty of pictures that you can share after the event!

Thank sponsors and volunteers for their support.

Follow up with all of your sponsors and volunteers to thank them for their support and share highlights from the gathering.

Connect after the event with Blue Star Families to share your success!

Appreciation Kit

STEP 8:

STEP 9:

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Facebook

Military families serve too, which is why we are so excited to partner with @Blue Star Families to provide military spouse moms with a relaxing spa day at [insert location]. #BlueStarNeighbors

Did you know that the 2017 Military Family Lifestyle Survey reported that more than half of military families feel they don’t belong in their local civilian community? That is why we are proud to be #BlueStarNeighbors and support @BlueStarFamilies who is on a mission to connect military families with their community. Learn more at bluestarfam.org.

We are honored to host military families for a family kickball tournament at [insert location] on [insert date]. From our family to yours, we invite you to enjoy your family and neighbors’ company at this exciting event. We thank you for your service. #BlueStarFamilies

Twitter

Military families serve too, which is why we’re so excited to partner with @BlueStarFamily to host a military spouse moms spa day! #BlueStarNeighbors

#DidYouKnow more than ½ of #militaryfamilies feel isolated from their community? We’re proud to partner with @BlueStarFamily to support them. bluestarfam.org.

We’re proud to be #BlueStarNeighbors. Want to support military families with us? Check out our friends @BlueStarFamily. bluestarfam.org

We had so much fun at the military family kickball tournament! Thank you to all those who serve. Want to volunteer? Get involved at bluestarfam.org.

Appreciation Kit

Sample Social Media Posts & Press

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Contact: [NAME, TITLE] [ORGANIZATION] [PHONE/EMAIL]

[YOUR ORGANIZATION] SUPPORTS LOCAL MILITARY FAMILIES WITH APPRECIATION EVENT

[Your organization] partners with Blue Star Families to strengthen military service members and families in the region

[CITY, STATE – DATE] – Today, [YOUR ORGANIZATION] hosted an event in support of military families by [DETAILS OF EVENT].

Military families often feel the stress of frequent deployments and moves. These appreciation events provide them with a much-needed diversion and a tangible sign of the community’s support.

[QUOTE FROM ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP]

[DESCRIBE THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE EVENT, INCLUDING SPECIAL DETAILS]

“It has been said that the strength of our country is our military, the strength of our military is its soldiers, and the strength of our soldiers is their families,” said Suzi Guardia, Blue Star Families Arts and Neighbors Program Senior Manager. “Time spent together having fun offers respite and support for military families and shows them that the community supports them and values their service.”

About [YOUR ORGANIZATION]

BOILERPLATE

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.

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Contact Suzi Guardia, Blue Star Families Senior Advisor for Neighbor Engagement, at sguardia@bluestarfam.org.

Provide her with:

• Name of the organization hosting the event

• Point of Contact for the event and their contact information (phone and email)

• The location of your event

• The dates of your event

Suzi will connect you with the nearest chapter serving military families.

Here are the locations where Blue Star Families has active chapters. Our Chapter Directors will work with you to identify local military families and help advertise your event.

If you are not located near a Blue Star Families chapter, contact Suzi to determine if this is the right project to take on in support of military families. If you want to pursue this project, we can work with you to help ensure success.

How to Connect with Blue Star Families in Your Area

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Who We Are: Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families, launched in 2009, works across the country and around the world to help military families overcome the challenges they face in the communities where they live. Our organization’s mission is to bring all Americans together to address these challenges, see our families thrive and make our nation strong.

The Challenge of a Military Lifestyle

The military lifestyle creates unique challenges for everyday family life. Children and spouses go months at a time without the daily presence of their service member. They wait to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. They take on family and personal challenges often without their spouses physical presence. These families adapt but often pay an emotional cost.

Your Mission: Host a Military Family Appreciation Event and Become a BSF Neighbor

To make a real difference we need everyone to join with Blue Star Families and get engaged.

Time spent together having fun, whether in the home or in the community, offers respite and support for military families. Your participation in creating a special Appreciation Event shows military families that the community supports them and values their service.

Thank you in advance for participating in this project. On behalf of our military families and our staff, thank you for your service.

The Blue Star Family Team

Join Today

Blue Star Neighbors are the individuals and organizations like yours who create a network of support for military families. Taking part in this community project is a meaningful contribution to the men and women serving our country as well as their families who serve alongside them. By joining us as a Blue Star Neighbor, your voice strengthens our mission and empowers our work.

Thank you for volunteering to be part of this Blue Star Families Neighbor project!VOLUNTEER WELCOME LETTER

Download Letter

• Contact Suzi Guardia, Blue Star Families Senior Advisor for Neighbor Engagement at sguardia@bluestarfam.org

• Set a goal and define parameters of your project including funds needed

• Enlist volunteers and assign duties

• Create a plan for event

• Gain approval of all stakeholders

• Begin securing funds and/or donations needed for a successful event

• Contact service providers and confirm costs, dates, times for the event

• Send out your press releases

• Begin weekly calls and updates with your team and with BSF

• Make sure everything is proceeding on target

• Issue invitations to military families

• Begin social media messaging

• Design and print signage and any flyers you will want to hand out

• Continue social media messaging

• Confirm registrations and reservations with service providers

• Thank all of your donors

• Take photos

8-12 WEEKS IN ADVANCE

8 WEEKS IN ADVANCE

4 WEEKS IN ADVANCE

2 WEEKS IN ADVANCE

DAY OF THE EVENT

Project Timeline

Appreciation Kit

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BSF Logos

Appreciation Kit

Download Blue Star Families’ Logo

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