Army Community Service celebrates 49 years of service

By Lisa RhodesJuly 24, 2014

Army Community Services 49th Birthday
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Children at Child Development Center 1 display the Army Community Service letters they decorated for the agency's 49th birthday. The children decorated the letters as part of an art project to commemorate ACS' dedication to serving active-duty servic... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
ACS 49th Birthday
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (July 24, 2014) -- Whether registering volunteers, hosting a toddlers playgroup or offering a seminar on how to prepare financially for retirement, Army Community Service provides critical services and programs for active-duty service members, DoD civilians, retirees and their families.

On the cusp of five decades of service, ACS will celebrate its 49th birthday on Friday. Its commitment to the community is stronger than ever.

"As we approach our half-century mark, the programs have grown to better meet the needs of our evolving military workforce and their families," said Doris Tyler, director of ACS.

In celebration of the milestone, children at Child Development Center 1 decorated letters of the alphabet that spell out "Happy Birthday ACS."

ACS provides 12 core programs and a variety of services aimed at assisting unit commanders in maintaining the readiness of individuals, families and communities within the Army by promoting self-reliance, resiliency and stability during war and peace, according to an ACS brochure.

All of the programs and services are provided at no cost.

Services include the Family Advocacy Program, which intervenes in cases of family distress and promotes a healthy family life; Employment Readiness Program, which provides information and services in areas of career planning and job searches; Exceptional Family Member Program, a mandatory enrollment program that provides comprehensive services to families with special-needs dependents; and the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, which provides support to Soldiers and family members in coordination with the Warrior Transition Unit.

A WTU closely resembles a "line" Army unit, with a professional cadre and integrated Army processes that build on the Army's strength of unit cohesion and teamwork. This allows wounded Soldiers to focus on healing to transition back to the Army or to civilian status.

"There's something for everybody," Tyler said. "ACS is a big part of your benefits package. If you were in the civilian sector, many of our programs would be fee-based."

Over the last two years, ACS was required to reduce its staff by one-third due to budget constraints.

Since January, however, Tyler has been able to hire eight new staff members, reviving weakened program staffs.

"We had to reduce a lot of our programs," Tyler said. "We had to access what the community was invested in and what programs were being utilized. We partnered with other agencies on and off post to fill in the gaps."

ACS has partnered with the Navy Fleet and Family Support Center, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, and the Workforce Center at the National Security Agency.

In addition to the programs and services that ACS provides, the agency responds to the needs of the Fort Meade community during natural and man-made emergencies by standing up a Family Assistance Center at the request of the garrison commander.

For example, ACS stood up a Family Assistance Center in response to the 9/11 attacks, Tyler said.

More recently, when federal employees were furloughed last fall, ACS provided financial seminars for affected personnel. The agency also provided job assistance to employees who were furloughed due to the closing of the post's golf course.

But, said Tyler, the primary mission of ACS is to serve unit commanders to help ready and maintain the Army force.

At the request of Fort Meade unit commanders, an ACS staff member is assigned as a point of contact to inform commanders on ACS programs.

"ACS' services reflect our community's success in working together," Tyler said.