More than 600,000 military families move into new communities each year.
These families face the typical challenges after they move — getting acclimated to a new neighborhood, meeting neighbors, registering the children for school, finding a place of worship and discovering the amenities and recreational offerings in the area.
The unique challenge for military families is they have to do this every two to three years, which means they hardly have enough time to put down roots in a new community.
To address this challenge, Blue Star Families, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for military families, developed a program called “Welcome Week.”
This is a nationwide program made up of thousands of local events designed to make military families feel more welcome more quickly in their new neighborhoods.
Welcome Week events can be organized by a community, a small group or a single family. Events can range from a block party or a backyard barbeque to a trip to a ballpark or other entertainment venues.
This year, Welcome Week is Sept. 21-29.
Some of the larger activities in the tri-state area this year include a family activity day at Yankee Stadium, a military family day at Seaside Heights and visits to the American Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo.
There is an underlying importance to Welcome Week.
Traditionally, military families are the best ambassadors for the military lifestyle. But, in the 2024 “Military Family Outlook Survey” conducted by BSF, only 32% of respondents said they would be likely to recommend the military lifestyle to others. Just five years ago, 55% of families said they would recommend it.
The precipitous drop in enthusiasm for military life is traced to two specific issues.
The first issue is financial — military pay is not keeping up with inflation and the military does not cover all the costs related to moving. According to BSF, one-third of military families racked up more than $2,000 in unreimbursed moving expenses.
The second issue is isolation — the nomadic lifestyle of military families is exceedingly disruptive.
The downturn in military families acting as effective ambassadors for the military lifestyle comes at an inopportune time. The Army, Navy and Air Force each reported significant shortfalls in their recruiting efforts in 2023. The three branches have expressed optimism that they will meet their 2024 recruitment goals, but these are reduced goals from previous years.
For more information about Welcome Week, click here.
