BAUMHOLDER, Germany - Soldiers and family members with the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team attended a pre-deployment fair at the Rheinlander Club Nov. 20.
"The purpose behind the event is to be a one-stop information and educational resource for deployment readiness," said Rachel A. Dooley, the 170th IBCT family readiness support assistant. "Events like this make it easy for Soldiers and family members to get information from every agency on post."
The fair included 35 organizations with a crew of about 100 representatives offering various services to Soldiers and their families. There were also booths for each battalion.
"The fair has booths from almost every agency on post," said Dooley. "170th IBCT, Army Community Service, Child, Youth and School Services, the post office, United Services Organization, legal, Bamuholder Community Spouses Club, medical clinic, behavioral health and so much more."
Each booth offered a unique way to help Soldiers prepare for deployment. Representatives at the legal services booth administered powers of attorney and other legal services. Service Federal Credit Union and Community Bank both offered information on banking services and bill paying assistance with a focus on services during deployment. United Services Organization had a booth where the group handed out Trevor Romain deployment kits for children, which included an interactive journal with activities, a stuffed teddy bear, a keepsake box and things to help children stay connected with their deployed parent.
"One of the booths was advertising auditions for a musical," said Staff Sgt. Veny X. Castillo, a Port Neches, Texas, native, now a squad leader with Command Security Detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 170th IBCT, about the Hilltop Theater booth at the fair. "So we picked up one of the flyers and our daughter is going to try out for that."
In addition to the wealth of information offered from the booths, the fair also had five classrooms where classes were constantly being taught to all who were interested.
"ACS offered many wonderful classes, such as Battlemind for Spouses, Coping with Deployment for Children of All Age Groups, Deployment Financial Readiness, Love Languages and more," said Dooley.
"These people are here because they're seeking ways to help themselves and their spouses during the deployment," said Angela Pate, a Family Advocacy Program specialist and an instructor for some classes that were offered at the fair. "I think these deployment fairs are wonderful. This is an opportunity to go where everything is all in one place, like one-stop shopping. Where else can you learn about couple's communication and then walk over and get a power of attorney'"
The fair was presented as an outlet for the nearly 400 Soldiers and family members in attendance to prepare for deployment.
"The fair today was a complete success," said Dooley. "All agencies were available to help prepare our Soldiers and families with deployment readiness. Many new members to the Baumholder community became linked with their units and Family Readiness Groups."
"I think it's great to reach out to the community," said Pate.
"Part of what ACS is about is reaching out to people and helping Soldiers and families," she said.
"That's our mission. And a lot of our job is not always 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That doesn't work. So we have to reach out there and go where the people are sometimes," Pate said.
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