Operation Top Knot showers support on military moms

[Breeze54]

Operation Top Knot showers support on military moms

By Triveni Sheshadri

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20070415-9999-lz1mi15topkno.html

SAN MARCOS –

Brandy Yamamoto is expecting her first child and is filled with joy and anticipation.
She also knows the aches, pains, anxiety and fatigue that are part of pregnancy.

“It's hard. You are tired, you are sick and you are hungry,” she said.

Yamamoto, an architect and San Marcos resident, can only imagine what it's like to go through
the life-changing experience alone.

“It must be very hard,” she said.

Yamamoto, a member of the Contemporary Women of North County, contributes to the organization's
Operation Top Knot outreach. Her donation of 70 onesies that she created as part of her baby
clothing line were used to make up gift boxes in support of pregnant wives of servicemen deployed
in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Linda Bridges, treasurer of Contemporary Women, learned of Operation Top Knot when she read about
it in a national magazine.

“I was really touched by it,” Bridges said. “Pregnancy is such a hard time to be alone. ”

Bridges started the program at her club last July. Since then six members helped assemble 25 gift
boxes filled with blankets, rattles, baby books and clothes. Some have shopped for baby items,
others have created baby clothes.

The gifts have been sent to women in several parts of the country including Florida, Louisiana,
Texas, Colorado and Kansas. In recent months, the group has focused on helping spouses of Camp
Pendleton Marines, Bridges said.

Sandra Teters, a club member and Escondido resident, is honing her knitting skills to make
blankets, caps and socks.

“I think it's a fabulous idea,” Teters said. “It's such a worthwhile project.”

Operation Top Knot, founded by Massachusetts college student Audri Cid, is a nationwide network
of service clubs and individuals who sew, knit and shop to put together gift baskets for wives
of servicemen. It's an offshoot of Soldiers Angels, a volunteer group that writes letters and
sends care packages to deployed soldiers.

[Breeze54]

1. Free greeting card e-mail will help salute mothers, troops, First Responders

http://www.al.com/living/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/living/1178439582247430.xml&coll=2">Free greeting card e-mail will help salute mothers, troops

Very patriotic card and seems sort of.... RW....

[Monkeyman]

2. Thanks we have a concert set up July 21st

For The Mothers and Fathers all fund will go to them sold out in four days

[Breeze54]

7. Cool! Do you have a link?

;)

[Monkeyman]

8. I will get it up for you

Send me a EM send you link

[Raven]

3. During Vietnam, the Army had a program called "Waiting Wives"

which provided contacts for women who needed help or advice and it also produced a monthly newsletter which had all kinds of good information. I recall one in particular which warned us against scams that were targeting wives of soldiers. I guess the Army doesn't do that anymore...add to the long list of things the services don't do for their people.

[Monkeyman]

4. There is no support from DOD

Vets and real people are stepping up its not political its just helping.

[bigtree]

5. we've always had to rely on ourselves before we could expect the military or govt.

to pick up the pieces

[Breeze54]

9. Yes they do!! It's called FRG - Family Readiness Group

Deployment Guide

For Families of Deploying Soldiers

http://www.hooah4health.com/deployment/familymatters/FSGhandbook.htm

Family Deployment Checklist | Your Finances | Handling Emergencies | Home Security
Family Readiness Groups | Separation | Reunion

FAMILY READINESS GROUPS

Army Commander's Guide to FRG Operations

PDF format (118 KB)
http://www.hooah4health.com/deployment/familymatters/24Sept05_CDRsGuide.pdf

MS Word document (110 KB)
http://www.hooah4health.com/deployment/familymatters/24Sept05_CDRsGuide.doc


For more information on FRGs see:

Make The Most of Family Readiness Groups
http://www.hooah4health.com/4life/hooah4family/frg.htm

Here's an example:

http://www.bragg.army.mil/frg/



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NMFA's Primary Goals

To educate military families concerning their rights, benefits and services available
to them and to inform them regarding the issues that affect their lives and...

To promote and protect the interests of military families by influencing the development
and implementation of legislation and policies affecting them.

http://www.nmfa.org/site/PageServer

[Kurovski]

6. K&R. (nt)