MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- The wives that serve as unit coordinators and advisors for the 2nd Marine Division Key Volunteer Network gathered at Marston Pavilion here July 25, as Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, 2nd Marine Division commanding general, spoke on the importance of the program and its volunteers, including those seated around him.
The gathering, which began at 10:30a.m., was arranged to thank and congratulate the 2nd Marine Division Key Volunteer Advisors and Key Volunteer Coordinators for their service and support to the spouses and families of Marines and sailors serving with the division.
The Key Volunteer Network helps spouses and families by connecting them to other spouses for helpful advice or information, said Cindy Hampton, a Marine Corps spouse and the key volunteer coordinator for 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion.
“This program is to support spouses of service members at Camp Lejeune,” said Penny McGrath, the key volunteer advisor for 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. “There is a wealth of knowledge and programs available for spouses here.”
The Marine spouses that join the network are trained through Marine Corps Family Team Building. This training ensures that the volunteers can properly assist spouses in need.
The superb assortment of food and good company at the luncheon lent itself to a fun and relaxing time. It was an opportunity for spouses to meet each other. Some of the Key Volunteer Network members began to look back on past experiences and the people they had met along the way.
Hampton remembered calls ranging from spouses wondering about jobs and childcare to why their mail wasn’t being delivered and where they could get their car repaired.
“We (the Key Volunteer Network) have the information that can help spouses get in contact with people that can provide assistance they need,” Hampton said.
“It’s a support system of spouses helping spouses,” added Sue Jurney, the key volunteer advisor for 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. “The Marine Corps is a unique lifestyle and it’s important to be able to talk to other spouses that understand where you are coming from.”
For more information on the Key Volunteer Network please contact your unit’s Family Readiness Officer.