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Key Spouses make volunteering a profession

  • Published
  • By Steve Hoffmann
  • 81st Training Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  On the Gulf Coast and particularly Biloxi, the lighthouse has taken on multiple figurative meanings -- light in a world of darkness, a guide through stormy, murky circumstances, an answer to a call for help. That spirit can often be seen in the people of the Gulf Coast as well. Here at Keesler, one place where you will find it is in the Key Spouse program.

In times of confusion and upheaval, such as is often the case when arriving at a new base, calling your Key Spouse might be the safest, quickest and easiest way to get you where you need to go. The Key Spouse program exists to help Airman spouses and family members navigate the sometimes confusing and turbulent Air Force life. A Key Spouse is a volunteer, generally a spouse or family member, who represents the unit and is a conduit of information between commanders and the family unit.

"The program has become a lot more established," said Rebecca Stanley, personal and family life program manager with the airman and family readiness center. "This is leading to greater continuity, but we're always looking for more Key Spouses."

Stanley recently held training for a group of 8-10 Key Spouses and mentors, teaching them how to be that light in the dark and how to get information into the hands of the people who can use it the most.

The Key Spouse program was developed as an initiative to enhance the quality of life for Air Force families. Voluntary implementation was encouraged in 1999, but the program varied from base to base. But in 2009, the program was standardized with formal training, not only for the Key Spouses, but has been incorporated into first sergeant and officer training as well.

Prospective Key Spouses are interviewed by the first sergeant and commander of a squadron with a letter of recommendation sent to Stanley. They must then fill out all the required paperwork before training can begin. According to Stanley, this has made the organic nature of volunteering a little more professional and official.

"Keeping the Key Spouse role and the social side of being a spouse separate is a challenge," said Elly McAlpine, Key Spouse mentor and wife of Lt. Col. Bradley McAlpine, 335th Training Squadron.

"Since many of the Key Spouses are the spouses who volunteer with the unit anyway, there is a lot of crossover. Even when Key Spouses are able to keep the two separate, a lot of times the other spouses in the unit don't understand the difference."

For a Key Spouse, balancing the need to stay professional with a passion for helping and serving whenever and wherever possible can be tricky at times. Sometimes it's better to inspire others to action than to act.

"I have found that getting the spouses together at least once every other month really helps keep everyone focused. The more they get together, the happier they are," said Lori Warren, 338th TRS Key Spouse and wife of Staff Sgt. Russell Warren, 338th TRS. "It really helps the spouses open up and talk about what things are going on in their lives and get inspiration and answers from others."

Warren recounted a story of a few of her nonprior service student spouses who stepped up and offered to babysit for some new moms in the 338th TRS who wanted to go to Heartlink.

"They volunteered to babysit because they felt like Heartlink was something that was too important to miss over something as silly as child care," said Warren.

The volunteers then used the money they received for babysitting to buy toys for the Toys for Tots program.

"This is the kind of stuff that's going on that gets out into the Air Force community," said Stanley. "These spouses are now going to leave here and have a different impression about military life, outreach and the support of Key Spouses."

To learn more about the Key Spouse program, call the airman and family readiness center, 228-376-8500.
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