FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Friday was a day of pampering, fun and learning for military spouses, as Fort Leonard Wood's Army Community Service hosted a Military Spouse Appreciation Day event.
The day provided spouses with the opportunity to receive chair massages, take Zumba and couponing classes, receive giveaways and learn more about community resources.
"Military spouses sacrifice so much throughout their service member's career," said Lynn Morgan, ACS director. "Spouses give up a lot to go where their service member is assigned to go. Today is just recognition of how special they are. It's a day for them to do something especially different and nice."
The halls of the ACS building were bustling with activity during the day's events.
Morgan said most of the classes were completely full, especially the couponing classes.
"I am hearing a lot of excitement from the Zumba room and the chair massages -- those were probably taken in five minutes on the sign-up sheet," Morgan said.
She said they were able to give the spouses some gifts, including jewelry, books, coupons and clothing.
"Almost everything we had came from Operation Homefront and there were a few private donors," Morgan said.
Kathleen Frayer, a military spouse, said she had fun taking part in the day and receiving the giveaways.
"I have a big bag of goodies," she said.
A stay-at-home mom, Frayer was also excited about taking part in the couponing class.
"I am always looking for a way to help spread the paycheck and to save the money. I am a stay-at-home mom with four kids and I have got to get a job or learn ways to live within (our) means," she said.
For one spouse, Vaniecea Martinez, events like Military Spouse Appreciation Day give her chance to connect with the community.
"This helps, especially since I don't have any kids; I am pretty much by myself until (my husband) gets off work, so this, being able to be around other people, and other military spouses -- helps a lot," Martinez said. "I have picked up a lot of valuable information."
Morgan said ACS provides a lot of useful resources for spouses, not just on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, but every day.
"We just invite everyone to come to ACS more often. We have so many programs and services we can offer. Army Family Team Building is one of our biggest programs for spouses," she said.
Another program Morgan said is valuable for spouses is Resiliency Training Class.
"Resiliency training is about 24 hours of individual blocks of instruction that encourage insights into personal reactions and responses. It has been life changing for many of the people that have taken it. Everyone I have asked has told us it is an awesome class. We do it monthly and we encourage the spouses to sign up for our resiliency training," she said.
For more information on services and classes provided by ACS, search for Fort Leonard Wood Army Community Service on Facebook, or call 563.0212.
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