North Carolina National Guard Family Program Receives Award

By Staff Sgt. Mary JunellJune 30, 2016

North Carolina National Guard Family Program Receives Award
Photo By Staff Sgt. Mary Junell | Joshua Cain, Director of Service to Armed Forces for the Eastern N.C. Region of the Red Cross, stands with Wendi Bell, Master Sgt. Ramona Robertson and Staff Sgt. Tammy Fowler, all part of the North Carolina National... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The North Carolina National Guard's Family Readiness Program received the Service to Armed Forces Partner of the Year award from Triangle Chapter of the American Red Cross during their annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 23, 2016.

The Red Cross has a service program recognition award for all their main activities.

"The American Red Cross does blood services, disaster services, we teach CPR and then our oldest and our foundational mission, going back to our founder Clara Barton, the battlefield nurse, is service to the armed forces," said Joshua Cain, the Director of Service to Armed Forces for the Eastern N.C. Region of the Red Cross.

The NCNG Family Readiness Program works regularly with the Red Cross to provide services like reconnection workshops for families of Guardsmen returning from deployments.

"They [the Family Readiness Program] are sort of our access point to the families and they help make sure the families know how to reach the Red Cross," Cain said. "They make sure everybody who needs to know about the Red Cross in the National Guard community, knows about the Red Cross."

The Red Cross also provides volunteers and food for events put on by the Family Readiness Program like the Easter egg hunt and movie night events held earlier this year.

"We have a lot of organizations that help us," said Staff Sgt. Tammy Fowler, the State Family Programs Assistant. "But we only have a few that really get out there and get down and dirty with the kids and really play and interact with the kids. The Red Cross really gets more involved on a person level, more than just dropping off some donations."

Both the Family Readiness Program and the American Red Cross said they look forward to building this partnership and providing support to NC Guardsmen and their families.

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