Fort Belvoir, Va. (March 20, 2014) - Protestant Women of the Chapel members put together Easter baskets March 12 during an annual outreach for children in Army Community Service's Exceptional Family Member Program.
The women put together 100 baskets, filled with candy and other items, at Woodlawn Chapel after the monthly tea party, according to Michele Fortenberry, PWOC president. The monthly tea parties are designed to give the women an opportunity to talk to each other about some of the difficulties of being a military spouse.
Making Easter baskets for the EFMP program gives the women a great sense of community, according to Fortenberry.
"It is something that PWOC has been doing for a very long time," she said. "It is something that encourages the ladies."
The EFMP program supports military Families with special needs Family members. Program personnel coordinate with military and civilian agencies to provide medical, mental health, educational and community support for those Families, among other services. The EFMP program can also assist with housing, adaptive equipment, assistive technology devices and wheelchair accessibility.
Amy Shields, a military spouse and Web administrator for PWOC, said there was a great turnout for the outreach, which helped the women put the baskets together quickly.
"It is something that we can do to, hopefully, bring joy and a smile to the children when they receive their baskets," she said. "I'm just glad we are able to do this for the children."
PWOC is a non-denominational organization, which provides women with fellowship and spiritual growth. It hosts weekly worship, socializing and Bible study events.
The group started in Europe during the 1950s when the spouses of servicemembers created support groups to help chaplains and find Christian fellowship.
For more information on future PWOC outreaches, send an email to out reach@pwocfortbelvoir.org.
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