The military spouse and first responder spouse communities are hurting. Studies indicate they are experiencing higher than average rates for depression, anxiety and feelings of isolation. A few military spouses are joining forces to change that.
Brittany Boccher is a recently retired Air Force spouse and serial entrepreneur. She developed a workshop, Discovering Your Spark, that aims to walk with military spouses through self-discovery and find their purpose. Her program was picked up by the USO and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was traveling often to present her workbook and workshop in person. But, she wanted to do more.
The Inspire Up Foundation is a nonprofit formed by Maria Reed, Jessica Manfre, Stacy Bilodeau and Samantha Gomolka. The four are best known for their inaugural Giving Tuesday Military campaign of kindness that reached 2.5 million people in December of 2019. Following that first campaign, they created an organization to continue their mission of increasing kindness with education, community building and empowerment. Boccher approached the group to collaborate, feeling that their two organizations were the perfect fit.
“Discovering Your Spark helps you identify your passion and Inspire Up helps you put that passion in action to inspire others. To me, this was a natural partnership – to discover and inspire,” Boccher said.
All five military spouses are from different services branches (Army, Army National Guard, Air Force and Coast Guard). Bilodeau hopes that other spouses will see their collaboration as an opportunity to dive into their own communities.
“We are encouraging spouses to get out of their comfort zone to do things they’ve never done before. It is a call to action for military spouses to rise up and practice kindness with purpose,” she explained.
The first initiative within their partnership is a box filled with items to motivate and inspire. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Caliber Home Loans, Scott Credit Union and First Command Financial – the box is completely free.
The boxes are limited to 50 military spouses or first responder spouses for this first drawing with the hope to increase that number each quarter as sponsorship grows. The mission of the box is simple and to the point: a collaboration to help you find your purpose and be the good.
How do you get one? It’s easy! Go to the Inspire Up website to enter into the drawing. Entries will be accepted through 11:50pm CST on July 31 st. The winners of the first box will be announced on August 1st, 2020.
