Beginning June 1, Army Community Service programs across the Army will change the way they deliver certain services to their communities.
These services will also be affected at Fort Knox.
"Commands across the Army enterprise, including U.S. Army Installation Management Command, have undergone reforms to become as effective and efficient as possible in an effort to support the Secretary of the Army's priorities," wrote officials at IMCOM recently.
Melinda Roberts, director of Army Community Service at Fort Knox, said the programs that have been affected by the changes include volunteer, employment and deployment support services.
"Tough decisions have been made to reorient savings to better support the Army's readiness and modernization priorities," said Roberts.
She said while delivery of affected programs will be different, it doesn't mean those programs will be axed. Instead, they will be managed through online resources and on- and off-post partners.
For instance, those who are interested in participating in the volunteer program will register online and then those partners that utilize the services will track progress.
"There is no change to the nature and number of volunteer opportunities available across the installation," said Roberts. "Volunteers remain a vital part of this community and will continue to be a key component to our community's success."
Military OneSource, already an online resource for other areas, also provides general information about volunteering. As well, the database that maintains a search engine for open positions, called the Volunteer Management Information System, will continue to be administrated locally by ACS staff, though volunteer assistance by staff members will be limited.
Roberts advised that those interested in volunteering contact volunteer organizations directly.
Employment Readiness services are also available through Military OneSource as well as the Kentucky Career Center, and, for transitioning Soldiers and their Families, the Soldier for Life -- Transition Assistance Program, also known as SFL-TAP.
Officials at IMCOM are working to update training for affected services, including providing non-Common Access Card access to training modules for leaders and key personnel who manage family readiness groups when Soldiers are deployed, said Roberts. In the meantime, ACS will continue to conduct FRG trainings upon request until the online training becomes available.
Roberts encouraged deploying units to contact ACS and request support for pre-deployment information fairs. ACS will provide printed information and arrange for staff to support these events whenever feasible.
"As always, ACS is available to provide community information and referral services," said Roberts.
There are no changes to current service delivery methods for such ACS services as Family Advocacy, New Parent Support, Victim Advocacy, Exceptional Family Member Program, Survivor Outreach Services, Financial Readiness and Army Emergency Relief.
Roberts said she understands the difficulties that can follow with changes like these, and she offered a pledge.
"What has not wavered and will not waver is the commitment to provide first-rate support to Soldiers and their Families," said Roberts. "ACS remains committed to those we serve, as we realize that what we do ultimately supports the Army's number one priority of readiness."
For more information about referral services, call (502) 624-8391, or visit ACS at Building 1477, Eisenhower Ave., from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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