Twelve monthly resolutions to help military families thrive

Ditch the traditional resolutions and lend a hand to the military community instead.

New Year’s Resolutions are complicated. I know I’m not alone in making them and not following through. So, this year I decided to do things a little differently. This year, my resolutions aren’t about me, but instead benefit our military community. Hopefully, others will be inspired to do the same.

Here’s an easy-to-follow New Years Resolutions calendar that civilians and veterans alike can use to make a difference in the lives of service members over the course of the next 12 months.

January: Visit your local VA (Veterans Hospital) and make a new friend. Ask if there are people there without family visiting and see if you can step in to offer compassion and a listening ear. You’ll find some amazing veterans who just want someone to talk to. 

February: Delve into your Chaplain’s Toolbox. In the Marine Corps, our chaplains have several family workshops called CREDO which “provides participants the opportunity to develop new perspectives about relationships with family and friends, the military and spiritual traditions. There are several free retreats to participate in, including:

If you’re not in the Marine Corps, connect with your local branch Community Service programs and ask if they have any retreats. If you’re not in the military, find a local marriage or personal enrichment retreat.

March: Support our Wounded Warriors. There are a lot of great organizations helping our veterans who have forever been changed by war. Start volunteering in a local organization or set up an auto-renewing donation.

My favorite two are the Semper Fi Fund (for Marines) and America’s Fund (all other services), where 94 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to support them. They have one of the lowest administrative costs of any program I’ve seen. But here are more:

Before you donate to any organization, always visit Charity Navigator to see where the non-profit’s money goes. You may be surprised at some of the mismanagement of funds out there.

April: Champion for hiring veterans and military spouses. If you work in an organization, talk to human resources or the management about the importance of hiring veterans and military spouses. Post your jobs for free at USMC Life, or join together with Hiring Our Heroes, Military Spouse Employment Partnership, and other organizations committed to helping our veteran and military spouse community.

May: Take LINKS. This acronym stands for Lifestyle, Insights, Networking, Knowledge, Skills. If you’re not in the Marines, check with your branch’s Community Services to discover their military family programs. LINKS is a great way to discover the ins and outs of your duty station, learn more about your military branch and discover hidden gems that may end up saving you money. Check out some of what LINKS covers:

If you’re not in the military, connect with your local Chamber of Commerce or small newspaper to discover some local gems.

June: Walk/Run a 5K or participate in a local golf tournament that raises funds for the military. It’s a great way to stay active for your health and also raise funds for a great organization.

July: Donate any unused airline miles to Luke’s Wings, whose mission is to “bring together veterans and wounded warriors that otherwise would not be able to be with their friends and family in their time of need.”

August: Support Operation Homefront’s Back to School Brigade, where you can start shopping at Dollar Stores to donate supplies for military schoolchildren. Many churches also gather supplies and donate them to military kids. This is a really easy program to start in your own community if you don’t already have one!

September: Are you a crafter or sewer? Consider volunteering for the ASYMSA Operation Kid Comfort and help create a beautiful quilt for a child whose military parent is deployed.

Maybe crafts aren’t your style. Then check out Dogs on Deployment and see if you can help take care of a service member’s pet while they are deployed. Unfortunately, this program has become vital because many service members return home to learn that their pet has been given away. Helping a service member with their pet while they’re deployed is one of the noblest things someone can do for their country at home.

October: Start connecting with organizations to adopt a service member for Thanksgiving or volunteer/donate food to your local food bank.

November: Ditch the holiday greeting card tradition and use that money to help a military family instead. In our digital society, sending cards is no longer necessary, so let’s find a better way to spend that money.

December: Volunteer for or donate to Toys for Tots, which helps local children get presents under the tree. This is an amazing program where “over 97% of your donations go directly to the mission of providing toys, books, and other gifts to less fortunate children.”

I hope that participating in many of these programs brings you joy and happiness this coming year. Even if you accomplish just a few of these, know that you’re helping a military family. It doesn’t cost a dime to make a difference — just a little time.

This article was originally published at Military1.com