Photo By Crystal Farris | Idaho Air National Guard Airmen shop at the Sutler Market on Gowen Field, Nov. 19. The...... read more read more
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The Idaho National Guard Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program offers various benefits to current and retired service members and their families that help support retention and the military community.
“The ‘R’ in ‘MWR’ should really stand for retention,” said Charles Read, MWR Secretary. “We help to retain service members by providing them a wide range of services that support their needs and build their community.”
Benefits include the use of the Gowen Field MWR Activity Center and two convenience stores: Sutler Market on Gowen Field, and the Sutler Store in the Idaho Army National Guard’s Orchard Combat Training Center.
This year the program has made various upgrades to all its facilities in order to offer a wider array of goods and services that are convenient and affordable.
“Having the availability of amenities such as the MWR program is nice because it helps my family appreciate my service to the National Guard,” said Staff Sgt. Antonia Lemos, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion medic.
MWR Activity Center
The newly renovated MWR Activity Center, located in Building 710, provides several spaces to host professional and recreational events such as celebrations, conferences, meetings, promotions, birthdays and weddings for up to 250 guests. It also offers event planning and catering services at affordable prices.
Lemos took advantage of her MWR benefits when she held her parent’s 40th wedding anniversary at the activity center in April. She chose the venue for its new bar, large ballroom and affordable pricing.
“The cost to have a formal event anywhere else can be horrendous,” said Lemos. “Other places we looked at wanted to give us a much smaller space for the same price. The activity center is beautiful and met all of our needs without breaking the piggy bank.”
By the end of the event Lemos was able to stay below her budget, which she said is something very important to her as a mother of four young children. Although Lemos held her wedding at the Gowen Field Chapel, she wishes she had also thought to have her wedding reception at the activity center.
“I stayed in base billeting the night before I got married so I could get ready there in the morning,” said Lemos. “I wish I had used the MWR for my reception because the cost was significantly higher and further away from my ceremony.”
The activity center bar is open throughout the week from early afternoon until late evening and provides a place for service members to unwind and socialize with some food and drinks.
Sutler Store
This year thousands of service members from local and out-of-state units enjoyed the use of the Sutler Store during their annual training events in the OCTC.
The store uniquely offers patrons a place within the desert training facility to quickly purchase items where they would otherwise not be able.
Comprised of several small buildings, the store offers service members a variety of food, beverages, clothing and sundries that sell quickly during training events. This year the MWR made available new and popular items such as pillows, shower shoes and miscellaneous uniform parts.
“People come into the store with their boots falling off their feet or they lose their rank while in the field,” said Ken Coulter, MWR Business Director. “We sell them boots and rank so they can go back to training.”
Sutler Market
On Gowen Field service members can find an array of goods including food, drinks, tactical gear and military swag. The market reopened in Building 309 after undergoing various renovations. With a more open floor plan, the space is able to showcase additional items including a larger selection of tactical uniform accessories, which until recently service members could only find online.
The market also has a full-service hair salon where service members and their families can get hair-cuts for $11 to $15. Color, weaves or a style can range from $15 to $60.
Future Goals
The program’s overall goal is to support the military community and retain service members by providing benefits their families can depend on and enjoy.
“We have already improved both our retail and food and beverage operations to benefit service members,” said Read. “Now we want to expand that benefit to their families by providing them long-term support.”
Future goals for the program include making available such things as rentable kayaks and bicycles at affordable prices on Gowen Field and other military armories throughout the state. It also hopes to increase funding distributions to units so they can provide certain perks for children on family and holiday events such as face painting and bouncy houses.
Currently, MWR profits generated through its stores, activity center and the Gowen Field Recycling program help the organization support various unit recreational funding, Chaplain activities and operations of the Gowen Field Gym.
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2018 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 300507 |
| Location: | BOISE, IDAHO, US |
| Web Views: | 522 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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