MONTANA NATIONAL GUARD FAMILY PROGRAMS New Family Programs Staff Members Newsletter February 2013 Volume 8 Issue 2 Inside this issue: New Staff………………….........................Pg.1 Dependent Scholarship……………….Pg.1 Coping with Deployment…………….Pg.2 Tips on Reintegration………………….Pg.3 Family Programs Calendar………....Pg.4 Youth Summit Information………..Pg.5 Youth Corner……………………………..Pg.6 Family Readiness Corner………........Pg.7 Resources & Benefits..........................Pg.8 Financial...................................................Pg.9 Family Programs Contacts...............Pg.10 Yellow Ribbon Events Dates……....Pg.10 Important January Dates Feb 1-2: Helena - Teens & Tots on the Fort Feb 9-10 : Helena - 1-189th Vigilante Yellow Ribbon Pre-Deployment Feb 18: Presidents Day Feb 23-24: Billings – 484th & 260th Families Yellow Ribbon During II Feb 23-24: Billings - 60-day YR for early returners of the 484th Feb 25 - Mar 2: Military Saves Week Page 1 The Family Assistance Center had two new staff members join our Family Programs Team in January! Please help us in welcoming Valerie Cundall our new Family Assistance Center Coordinator and Alysaa O’Neil who will be our Havre area Family Assistance Center Specialist. Welcome to the team ladies! Scholarships for Military Dependents Once again the Montana National Guard Thrift Shop Board is offering a $500 education scholarship to dependents (children and spouses) of Members of the Montana Military. This scholarship may be used in a course of study in a college, vocational technical school or trade school. The scholarships will be mailed directly to the school. It is very important that you show the name of the school’s finance officer, address and phone number on the application. If you have applied previous years, you are eligible to apply again. Previous awards will have no bearing on whether or not you receive another scholarship. Applications must be post marked no later than April 1, 2013. For more information and for application please contact your local FAC or you may contact the Thrift Shop at 406-324-3375. Alyssa O’Neil is the new Family Assistance Center Specialist in Havre. She was a stay at home mom prior to joining the team and owns a small business with her husband. Alyssa is married to SSG Justin O’Neil of the 639th QM Co and they have two daughters, Haylie and Brylie. Alyssa has been around the National Guard for three years through her husband who was a recruiter until recently. Welcome Alyssa! Welcome Home B Co 1-189th From all of us at Family Programs, Welcome Home B Co 1-189th! It is good to have you back home and we are so happy you have finally been reunited with your loved ones. We look forward to seeing you soon at your 30-day Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Event in Helena March 2nd-3rd! To register for both the 30/60 – day events please call the Yellow Ribbon office at 324-3984. Enjoy your time at home with your families! Valerie Cundall is the new Family Assistance Center Coordinator in the Helena Family Programs Office. Val comes to Family Programs with a long history of working with children and families from all walks of life, as well as the professionals who serve them. She most recently served 3 years as Coordinator for the community-based Early Childhood Coalition in Helena, and has an extensive background in case management, program development, and team-building. Married to an MTARNG AGR soldier for 15 years, Val is very happy to have the opportunity to work more closely with military families and looks forward to being a supportive member of the FAC team! Welcome Valerie!
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February 2013 - the Montana National Guard Family Programs
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FREE Tax Filing With tax season already geared up, Military OneSource is sending this special announcement to inform you about free tax
filing services!
Military OneSource is pleased to announce the return of the Military OneSource version of the H&R Block At Home Online
tax preparation service. If you are eligible under the Military OneSource program, you can complete, save, and file your
2011 federal and up to three state returns online for free with the H&R Block At Home tool.
To access this free service, you must start your return from the Military OneSource H&R Block At Home link. Once you click
the link you will be required to log in to Military OneSource (new users need to create an account). From the login page you
will be directed to a site containing additional information on tax preparation, including the link to the Military OneSource
free H&R Block At Home service.
You can also prepare and file your taxes at your own pace. Once you create your own secure log-on user ID and password
through the Military OneSource H&R Block At Home service, you will be able to save, close, and return as often as you need
to. This means that if you don’t have all of your tax documents ready when you start, you can stop, gather what you need,
and return as often as necessary.
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Financial
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It’s (Almost) Military Saves Week The theme for Military Saves Week 2013 is more than just a theme; it’s a simple set of instructions to help you save successfully. Set a goal. Make a Plan. Save automatically. Knowing what you want to save for, how to achieve it and then making the saving process automatic will allow you to reach your saving goal. Set a Goal You can save more by having a goal in mind. Visualizing what you want to save for gives your savings a purpose. You may be tempted to withdraw from your savings if it has no purpose. But once you have a goal in place, you know that taking money out of your savings is taking away from that ultimate goal. So what are you saving for? An emergency fund, a home, retirement, a car? Encourage people to go viral with their savings goal. Take a picture and post it on Facebook and tag @MilitarySaves. Make a Plan Once you have your goal in place, make a plan of how you are going to save. To start, cut down on your spending and reduce high-cost debt. Next, keep track of what you spend and make a budget. Once you know where your money is going each month, you can cut down on unneeded spending and save the difference. Don’t forget to keep your savings safe, secure, and growing. Banks, credit unions, and even the government offer a variety of financial products that can help you save. Save Automatically It can be hard to put aside money for savings. But there is an easy way to save money without ever missing it. Once you know how much you can save, make saving automatic and automatically transfer a portion of your paycheck into a savings account. Take the military Saves pledge to get tips and advice year round and follow Military Saves on Facebook and Twitter.
Military Saves Week 25 February – 2 March
Take the pledge: www.militarysaves.org
Questions or concerns?
Call your MT National Guard Personal Financial Counselor, Liz Foster, 406-324-3302 [email protected]