By Jefferson Wolfe
Fort Gregg-Adams Public Affairs Officer
Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. — Army Community Service honored eight people for their volunteer efforts during the October Community Leaders Information Forum.
The CLIF brings together various installation and community groups and provides information on various events and subjects of interest. The event took place Oct. 23 in the Multi-Purpose Room at Army Sustainment University.
The awardees and the organization that recognized them included: Vicki Archileti, Fort Gregg-Adams Museum Enterprise; Sgt 1st Class Jeanelle Derocher, 244th Quartermaster Battalion LTD; Stagg Sgt. Toforne Farmer, U Co., 262nd Quartermaster Battalion; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nathaniel Garrett, Guys with Ties, KOOL, Harry E James Elementary School; Tennille Green-Pegram, Community Connect Logistics Training Department, 244th Quartermaster Battalion; Staff Sgt. Eric Martin, 262nd Quartermaster Battalion; Francis Pattin, Holiday Helper; and Paul Riding, Fort Gregg-Adams Museum Enterprise.
“We want to recognize our amazing garrison volunteers,” said Cheryl Woods, an Army Community Service specialist.
As the meeting began, Col. Richard Bendelewski, garrison commander, urged those in attendance to spread the word about the many services the garrison offers.
The garrison provides about 75 services to the installation, he said, adding that the goal of the meeting was to highlight many of them for the leaders assembled.
There are a lot of great initiatives in FY 2025 for the Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, he said.
“We can not be successful from an MWR perspective without you, as leaders, throughout the installation ensuring that your Soldiers and civilians have access to MWR facilities and services, he said.
Army Installation Management Command commander Lt. Gen. Omar J. Jones IV continues to discuss a culture of belonging, Bendelewski said. IMCOM responsible for the day-to-day management of Army installations around the globe, including Fort Gregg-Adams.
“Belonging (is) not just for our mission partners, but for the Soldiers that we provide who services to, the civilians who we provide those services to and the community members who we provide those services to,” he said. “And that starts with getting the information down to all those individuals.”
Bendelewski said he did not initially realize how many services were provided at the garrison level until later in his career.
“So please take advantage of that,” he added.
Garrison directorates and installation support partners that spoke included: Directorate of Human Resources, Transition Assistance Program; Religious Services Office; Kenner Army Health Clinic; Army Substance Abuse Program; DFMWR; and Army Community Service. Other organizations included: Sergeant Audie Murphy Club and the Fort Gregg Adams Spouses Club.
Slides from the event are available at https://homeadmin.army.mil/greggadams/6317/2978/9391/OCT_23_CLIF_Final.pdf
Nastelle Graves from TAP urged future retirees to start working through the program at least 18-24 months before retirement.
“We’re looking for you to show up early,” she said. Soldiers not enrolled in TAP are welcome to attend as well, she added, but priority is given to those preparing to retire.
Chaplain Maj. Rick Pak detailed the on-post chapel ministry schedules and urged the use of the vMinistry App to get information about religious services and activities. To find the app, search for “FGAV Chapels” in the app store.
Kenner Army Health Clinic Commander Lt. Col. Shani O. Thompson Burkes discussed a variety of topics, including increased access to the clinic. Starting in November, the clinic will be closed for training on the afternoon of the third Thursday of the month, as opposed to the 2-3 days per month in the past.
“So, that’s going to allow us to increase appointments, increase opportunities for you all to be seen,” she said. Also, sick call will continue from 7:15 a.m.- 9 a.m.
Video virtual appointments are available as well, she said.
Other upcoming events include a Pediatric Flu Vaccine Rodeo 1:15 p.m.- 3:15 p.m. Nov. 7 and 14 at the Walk-In Clinic.
Claire Dermer, the garrison’s Army Substance Abuse Program manager, spoke about the upcoming Substance Misuse Prevention Leader Professional Development Session, which takes place from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Larkin Conference Center.
The event is designed for company-level command teams or designated representatives to learn about key substance misuse topics from a multidisciplinary panel of professionals, learn more about prevention and resilience resources and network with peers and resource providers, Dermer said.
D’Arcy Giovine spoke for DFMWR, discussing upcoming events like the Zombie Hunter Hayride, which takes place Oct. 25, 26 and 30. While riding on a trail, participants shoot paintballs at the scary targets that frighten them along the ride.
The Thanksgiving Brunch takes place Thanksgiving Day at the Gregg-Adams Club, and the Grand Illumination is upcoming on Dec. 5.
Giovine also played a game of BINGO with attendees with various prizes from DFMWR.
More details about these and other events are available at https://gregg-adams.armymwr.com
The final two briefings came from the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, which has a mission of promoting and mentoring the noncommissioned officer corps and giving back to the community, and the Fort Gregg-Adams Spouses’ Club (Fort Gregg-Adams Spouses' Club), which has a variety of grants and scholarships available.
Date Taken: | 10.24.2024 |
Date Posted: | 10.24.2024 14:36 |
Story ID: | 483881 |
Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VIRGINIA, US |
Web Views: | 10 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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