Family support services available for military families

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - With the drama unfolding in the middle east, some Fort Sill military families may be feeling additional burdens. One organization on Post aims to remind those families they aren’t by themselves, but part of a much larger community.

”It allows them to still feel connected with the community, and again, it builds resiliency and help them to connect and make friends with other family members that are going through the same process,” Prout said.

Dianne Reiling has used the the ACS organization for the last fifteen years, having started after her husband’s first deployment. Back then, a mother of three and pregnant.

”Oh, I was devastated and scared. I was pregnant with our fourth child and had three kids at home, all toddlers and we had been at our first duty station for about a month,” Reiling said.

She now works for the organization, and says it’s helped her extend her family by developing lifelong bonds within the military community. From the New Parent Support Program, which offers home visits and play dates for children, to financial management courses, Prout says the ACS aims to offer real life solutions to daily problems.

“We also have the military family life counselors, because during that time frame as well, their loved one may need someone just to reach out to, to talk to, to help them with coping mechanisms,” Prout said.

Prout says the organization creates opportunities for military families to share common experiences from the time they arive on post-- and volunteering can help people feel connected, especially during deployments.

”I actually joined the New Parent Support Playgroup before I actually knew what it was, I was pregnant and had two toddlers who needed something to do. It was an easy way to connect to the community. Like, I found a lot of friends that it’s been fifteen plus years that I still am in contact with,” Reiling said.

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