Military: Scholarships Available for Military Kids

Your eligible child can receive scholarship money for winning an essay contest sponsored by military commissaries!

Every commissary that receives an entry from an eligible applicant will give away $1,500 in scholarship funds through the 2008 “Scholarships for Military Children” program.

Applicants must be under 21 and planning to attend or currently attending college, or under 23 and currently attending college. Scholars must have a 3.0 GPA based on a 4.0 scale, and must be in the DEERS system, meaning he or she must hold a current military ID card.

Scholarship funds are available to unmarried children of active-duty, retired, Reserve and Guard service members. Children of deceased service members are eligible as well. Applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited college or university as a full-time student for the fall 2008 term.

The question for this year’s essay is “Every able-bodied citizen should be required to serve a two-year period of time in the military. Why or why not?” Applications can be found at any military commissary or by clicking here.

Military: Grants for Military Spouse's Education

Military spouses often have special challenges finding and maintaining a career when following a spouse between different duty stations. Many career fields are not “portable”, and those that are often require special training. Child care and cost of education becomes an issue.

Many military spouses who maintain a career often sacrifice high-paying jobs to follow their active duty sailor or soldier every time they a relocated, which can happen as often as every six months to two years. Military husbands and wives find it difficult, if not impossible, to train for a new career in high-demand, easily-transferable fields, due to the cost of education, tuition, books, and child care. Many military spouses just give up, accepting the fact that they will not have a career of their own until after their spouse retires from active duty.

However, help is now available in the form of financial grants for military spouses. The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative is designed for spouses who move frequently and meet income requirements. The grants are backed by $35 million from the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor.

Participants must be married to an E1 – E5 active duty service member, or an active duty junior officer O1-O3. Eligible spouses need to have either a high school diploma or their GED.

Spouses are eligible for up to $3,000 per year in grant money for training in the health care, education and information technology fields, among others. The program will begin in January of 2008, and is being unveiled at 18 military installations across the country.

In Washington State, participating bases include Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, and Naval Base Kitsap. For more information, call Robin Moeller at the Fleet and Family Services Center at Naval Base Kitsap at 360.396.1768.

To see if you qualify, or for a list of other participating military installations, see the Military Spouse Support Center at http://www.military.com/spouse/cf/0,,cf_CAA_111407,00.html.

Military: Give Life to a Military Service Member!

You have the ability to save the life of a wounded service member or a member of their family!

By donating blood through the ASBP, you support our military and their families. All blood donated through ASBP goes directly to military men and women, both at home and abroad, as well as their families. Whole blood and blood platelets are needed daily for transfusions for our injured combat troops, cancer patients, transplant patients and many more.

As a transplant recipient and the spouse of a naval officer, I can not emphasize enough the blessing of receiving those blood donations. I have no idea who my blood came from during those eight hours of surgery, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. By encouraging others to donate, perhaps I can return the favor.

Donating whole blood takes less than an hour of your time, and could save a life. The ASBP will be in our Kitsap County several times before the New Year. December 6, the ASBP will be accepting donations at Naval Base Kitsap - Keyport, Building 105. December 12, they will be at Naval Base Kitsap - Bangor. Although they will be located at the Trident Training Facility, access to dependents, retirees and contractors can be arranged through the TTF Security Desk.

The ASBP will also be taking blood donations at the Bremerton Naval Hospital on December 18. As long as donors have base access, they may donate blood at this event.

Military service members, dependent family members, retirees and their family members, and civilian government contractors are encouraged to give blood. To see if you are an eligible donor, please go to http://www.militaryblood.dod.mil/.

For more information, call 253-968-1903. And thank you for supporting our heroes!

Silverdale Kohl's Grand Opening

The newest addition to the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale is getting ready to open its doors to the public!

Kohl's Department Store will have its Grand Opening on November 14, 2007. Kohl's offers quality name-brand items at great values. The store carries everything from fashion, jewelry and cosmetics to kitchen decor and toys.

According to a recent news article, the store opening will add approximately 150 jobs to the area. The store is located at 10315 Silverdale Way, Silverdale, as one of the anchor stores of Kitsap Mall. Other stores at Kitsap Mall include Sears, Macys, JC Penney, Barnes and Noble and World Market.

Kitsap Mall is about 5 minutes south of Bangor Submarine Base, and 15 to 20 minutes north of Bremerton Naval Station and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Military: Free Class on VA Loans Offered to Military

Be prepared when you buy your first home!

Military home buyers are invited to a free seminar on using a VA loan to purchase a home. The class will be held on the Bangor Submarine Base on November 6, 2007, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The class is free to active duty and retired military and their families, as well as reserve service members.

The class will cover various topics regarding VA loans, including the general process of buying a home, benefits of a VA loan, steps to obtaining a VA loan, and avoiding common first-time homebuyer pitfalls.

For example, you can use your VA loan more than once. Also, there is no such person as a VA inspector. Credit, eligibility, and negotiating are also discussed.

This information is offered by Kym Mason of Mason Mortgage and Marlene Scheffer and Terry Wimmer of Realty Station. The instructors are real estate professionals experienced in VA loans. Marlene Scheffer and Terry Wimmer are military spouses and have first-hand experience purchasing homes with a VA loan.

To register or for information on base access, please call Terry at Realty Station at 360-377-5699.