Hands & Voices on the Homefront
By Johanna Wonderly, California H&V
Military families are a huge asset to our Chapters. I live in California and my husband is a service member of the California National Guard. I want to share my experience as a military spouse in Chapter leadership. Something about the military: we’re always on the go. Life is unpredictable and we learn to adapt and go with the flow. My husband was deployed this past May. We have three small children, ages two, four, and six. All three of them were born Hard of Hearing. Having a community is vital for their success. And because of that, I am motivated to support my Chapter. At California Hands & Voices, I serve as the ASTra Coordinator, Regional Representative serving 14 counties, and a member of our Northern CA Hands & Voices Family Camp planning committee. Three of our Chapter’s original seven ASTra Advocates are military spouses. We very much appreciate their willingness to serve our organization while their spouse serves in uniform.
I want to share five things about military spouses and how our Chapters can support them.
We are resilient. With that resilience comes amazing sets of skills. We know how to throw together a last-minute party. We know how to do things on a shoestring budget. We know how to make the magic happen and when plans change, we are flexible because these are all things that are part of the military way of life.
Because military spouses move often, we have connections all over the globe. We may be able to connect H&V members with friends or acquaintances no matter where they are moving.
It’s important to trust that we as military spouses know our limits. As Chapter leaders, we are apt to miss an opportunity if we assume or decide for the spouse that they are too busy to do something to support the Chapter. By allowing our military membership to make these decisions on their own, we maximize potential to bring new skills and perspectives to the table.
To those in leadership, when reaching out to military families who may not be in leadership, these are some things to keep in mind.
If we don’t come to an event, please don’t give up on us. It’s not personal. Keep inviting us. The time will come where the stars will align, and we will join. And we will be grateful for that opportunity.
Offering to watch siblings for doctor appointments is an answered prayer. For my own family, audiology appointments are a big deal and require multiple adults to supervise kids while one is in the booth. This adds a level of complexity when it comes to setting up appointments especially when the spouse is deployed, and your support circle may not yet be established due to frequent moves. ~
Editor’s note: H&V HQ is so grateful for our military family leaders. For more information about supporting military families and establishing your leadership as a military family, see our website here: https://handsandvoices.org/resources/military/index.html
H&V Communicator – Fall 2020