ACS 3rd QTR Newsletter by Johanna Kelly

Early Fall Edition 2011 Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) p. 5

Reintegration p. 8 Know your Credit Score p. 9

Shipping Wine the Right Way p.11

ACS Class Calendars p. 14 - 17

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Baumholder Army Community Service Health Clinic Complex, Bldg 8746 DSN: 485-8188, CIV: 06783-6-8188 Open M-F 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

In This Issue 3 The Dish from Dan Notes from the Baumholder ACS Director

5 Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) For Families with Children with Disabilities

Transforming… 6 EFMP Respite Care FAQ’s To Better Meet

Emergency Placement Care FAQ’s

8 Reintegration Programs to Rely on during the Process

Your Needs! 9

Know Your Credit Score

An Important Number that Makes a Difference

10 Army Family Action Plan and Army Family Team Building 11 Ship Wine the Right Way 12 ACS Advertisements 14 ACS Class Calendars July – September 2011

Notes from the Baumholder ACS Director

More Resilience? Resilience! Resilience! Resilience! Can you stand to hear the word one more time? It is difficult to go 24 hours without hearing somebody tout themselves as resilient or congratulate someone else on being resilient. Even ESPN does not provide respite since every sports team that losses a game is resilient too! Would you expect any less? Resilience is not a new concept but, the term is now taking on a life of its own. It seems that there may be a master checklist somewhere to ensure that the word has been used an appropriate number of times per day. Is this valid usage or an example of political correctness whereby we must ensure that we all participate in the approved group speak mantra? Resiliency refers to the capacity of people to weather storms and cope with adversity. Resiliency does not indicate some type of super human strength or immunity to stress producing events. It has often been said that what is important is not a negative event, but how you handle yourself after the event. That was before we knew about resilience as a psychological characteristic. That was the old days when we talked about the hardiness of an individual or someone’s mental toughness. Those sayings refer to people who had resiliency, people who kept their chin up. Now we know that resilience can be developed. Not dissimilar from going to the gym to build physical fitness, we have discovered that resilience can be built. We can make a decision about how to live after something bad or unpleasant occurs. Resilience is not something that happens to us, it is a learned skill. Some people learned it from their parents and perhaps can’t articulate it but, certainly demonstrate the ability to bounce back that has become the common definition of resilience. One of the greatest values of resilience is that it can provide the opportunity to take control of how one lives their own life. It does not provide control over everything in your life but, more importantly, how one reacts to things in life over which we have no control. Resilience provides people with coping skills to determine what the next step will be when things don’t go according to plan. Resilience enables a quicker recovery from any type of negative outcomes whether they are personal or even natural disasters. People really can decide their own fate. We all have the potential to be victims of circumstances, one who looks at a lemon and says it’s a lemon, or one who makes lemonade from life’s lemons survivor! Continued on next page 3

continued While resilience will not inoculate us against ever being sad or having a bad day, it is indicative of a positive thought process and thought processes are learned behaviors. By changing our thought processes we too can become more resilient. Building resilience is not brain washing, but it is thought control. It is an individual controlling their own thoughts. It is much the same as controlling your body when one learns to golf, bowl or play any sport. Developing a skill takes effort, no matter what the skill. We can watch Tiger Woods play golf, but we will never get better until we get out on the course and practice! The specific concepts to develop this skill are as readily available as bowling lessons, dance classes or chess clubs. Sitting on the couch and wishing for something is not an effective technique. Decide that you want to have a say in how you live and you can have it. One of the basic concepts of resilience is the ATC which means Activating event (what happened), Thoughts (your interpretation), and Consequence (emotions and reactions). Very simply stated, we can analyze events in our life in order to begin to decide to bounce back and not be prisoners of knee jerk reactions. While we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decide what we feel, we can decide what we do and what we say and how we react to those feelings. Negative feelings and emotions can be mitigated by employing intentional positive thought processes. In order to accomplish this we must learn how to deploy positive processes rather than allowing negative thought processes to impact our reactions and potentially our outcomes. At the end of the day, resilience is a lifestyle choice available to us all with a little practice. Take care,

Dan Furlano ACS Director

Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) For Families with Children with Disabilities

The LICC’s mission is to ensure communication and collaboration among support agencies in meeting the needs of children with disabilities and their Families. It is mandated by the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Public Law 99-457. In addition, MEDCOM Regulation 40-53 , provides guidance in overseas military communities. The goal of LICC is to address problems and concerns brought forth by Families, caregivers and community agencies. It is a partnership of Families of children with special needs, such as developmental delays, ADHD, disabilities or who are at risk, and community agencies that support these children and families. LICC provides an opportunity for parents and professionals to work together to effectively engage community resources for Families having children with special needs. The key components of LICC are: • Participation of parents having children with special needs. • Participation of community agencies that support children with special needs and their Families. The key roles of LICC are: •· Promoting public awareness of child development and community resources. • Promoting child find activities that facilitate the identification of children at risk or with special needs. • Promoting agencies serving children within the community. How can I get involved? LICC can offer a variety of activities for you to become involved in, depending upon your interest and availability. Parents and professionals are an important part of the LICC. Anyone who has a child with a developmental delay, ADHD, disability or is at risk, and any one who works with Families and children with special needs is invited to join in the LICC. To Contact the Baumholder LICC please call: EDIS: DSN 485-6710 or CIV 06783-6-6710 EFMP: DSN 485-8188 or CIV 06783-6-8188

WHAT IS RESPITE CARE? Exceptional Family Respite Care is a program that provides a temporary rest period for Family members responsible for regular care of persons with a special need . Care will be provided in the home of the exceptional Family member or during specific CYSS programs.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESPITE CARE? Eligible for Respite care are families enrolled in EFMP and who qualify based on the medical and/or educational need of the exceptional Family member.

HOW MUCH RESPITE CARE CAN MY FAMILY MEMBER RECEIVE? A qualifying Family is eligible to receive up to 40 hours of respite care per month for each exceptional Family member. The hours are determined based upon condition and severity of disability.

HOW MUCH WILL RESPITE CARE COST ME? Respite Care is FREE of charge once you have completed the enrollment process and have been found eligible to participate in the Respite Care Program.

HOW DO I ACCESS RESPITE CARE? Contact ACS at 06783-68188 or DSN 485-8188

Interested in becoming a Respite Care Provider? Background checks, experience with the special need population and specific trainings are a requirement in order to qualify.

Emergency Placement Care FAQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s What is Emergency Placement Care (EPC)? The Emergency Placement Care Program is a voluntary program or Command Directed service providing 24 hour a day care, for at-risk children in an EPC Certified home, when it has been determined that the child/children cannot be safely cared for by their natural parents or legal guardians. Emergency Placement Care is comparable to the civilian foster care program in Continental United States (CONUS). Who Needs Emergency Placement Care? Children needing emergency placement care range from infants to teenagers. They have the same basic needs as all children; however, they may also need extra attention and care. The Emergency Placement Care Program is designed to provide children with a temporary nurturing home, providing stability and security when Family circumstance warrants a short term change of environment. Recruiting for Emergency Placement Care (EPC) Providers The Emergency Placement Care (EPC) Program is looking for family oriented people to become a part of a professional team that is working to keep children and families together. "Make a difference in the lives of children" For more information call 485- 8188 or 06783-6-8188 or stop by Family Advocacy, Army Community Service, Health Clinic Complex, Bldg.8746 and speak with the Emergency Placement Care Coordinator. 7

Programs to Rely on during the Process By Scott Ehrhardt Deployment & Mobilization Program Manager

Reintegration. It brings to mind long embraces, tearful smiles, happy children and long-awaited kisses. For some Soldiers and their Families this is a time of relief and rejoice. For others , it is the beginning of struggle, hardship and endless stress. Returning from deployment is actually all these things. A year has passed and people have changed and so to their circumstances. Perhaps the Soldier is having difficulty readjusting or is displaying symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or is the Spouse, after taking care of things single-handily for the last 12 months not wanting to relinquish control? ACS can assist with this massively overwhelming and confusing transition back to normal. Our Financial Readiness program can provide guidance on how to budget with less money, or how to invest the money you saved. The Family Advocacy Program (FAP) offers an array of classes dealing with everything from anger management to helping children readjust to the Soldier being home to how to romantically communicate again. Of course our Relocation Readiness program is standing by to help all the families that will be PCSing in the near future so that their moves will be smooth and easy. ACS will be involved in various FRG Meetings and Reintegration Briefings so as to provide information directly to the community. Our goal is that you have a wonderful reunion, and if obstacles happen to arise, that you can count on our door being open and willing to help. Some other ideas might be to take time and have an intentional conversation after your Soldier comes home. Turn everything off (radio, TV, Internet) and sit down, look at each other in the eyes and for ten minutes talk about whatever. Chances are it will go much longer than that. If you are planning to PCS, begin talking positively towards your new duty station. Remember, a discussion about the future can be a way to reinforce your relationship. Keep in mind that money will be less after the deployment, so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spend all of it on block leave only to come back broke with bills due. Transition always requires understanding and communication and we here at ACS are here to help you make that transition and to assist with anything we can. Drop in or contact us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BaumholderACS and let us know how we can lend a hand. You can also contact Mobilization and Deployment at DSN, 485-8188 or CIV, 06783-6-8188. We are here for you. 8

KNOW YOUR CREDIT $CORE An Important Number that Makes a Difference Written by Mary Johnston Financial Readiness Program Manager

Your credit score is arguably the most influential number in your life, affecting your financial well-being directly and indirectly in many, many ways. Your credit score measures credit risk. Your score, along with your credit report, is used by: Lenders – whether to approve a loan or credit card and the interest rate Potential landlords – whether to offer a lease agreement Utilities companies – requirement or waiver of security deposit and cost Auto insurance companies – cost of policy Prospective employers – whether to make an offer of employment Military – approval to obtain/maintain security clearance and selection for schools The components of a FICO score are: 35% payment history – pay your bills on time every time 30% capacity – use only a portion of your credit limit so you have capacity for emergencies

15% length of credit history – do not close oldest accounts, build longterm accounts 10 % types of credit in use – start small! use a variety of installment loans and revolving credit cards 10% new credit – shop for credit only when needed An excellent credit score can save you as much as $1500 in annual credit costs. If you use that savings to invest $1500 annually in a taxdeferred account with an 8% annual return, you could have $258,000 after 35 years. An excellent credit score is 760 and higher on the FICO scale of 300850.

What is your score? Why is it not higher? What can you do to improve it? If you need help answering your credit questions, contact the Financial Readiness Program, telephone 06783-6-8188. We can assist you to access your credit report and score, along with a report analysis……all at no cost to you. 9

Army Family Action Plan & Army Family Team Building Written By Ciara Luna AFAP/AFTB/AVC Program Manager

AFAP provides the Army community a "voice" in shaping their standards of living and identifying issues related to the current environment. Through AFAP, all members of the Army, including Active, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers, Family members, retirees, surviving spouses, and Department of the Army Civilians have a forum to voice concerns to Army leadership and make recommendations for change. These concerns are voiced through issues at local installations and then get filtered by communities until they reach the Department of the Army level where major change can happen. Notably, Social Security Numbers will now be removed from all ID cards beginning this summer as a result of an AFAP issue. USAG Baumholder meets regularly to work toward resolution of issues submitted locally and ensures the community has access to the progress of those issues. You can view issue update books for USAG Baumholder on both the Baumholder and ACS web pages under AFAP. Applications are also available to become a delegate at the next Baumholder AFAP conference scheduled for October 19 – 20, 2011. Have an issue? Submit it in one of the black boxes located around the installation or on www.myarmyonesource.com .

AFTB is a program whose vision is to develop strong, knowledgeable and engaged individuals and communities through a multi-level approach. We value excellence in: • Quality Training – it is our signature; it is who we are and what we do! • Resourcefulness – The ability to overcome challenges. • Life-Long Learning – Opportunities that meet the needs of our community. Goals: • Prepare individuals through specialized training generating flexible, adaptive and capable Soldiers, Families and Civilian. • Enhance personal growth and professional development by leveraging an adaptive curriculum and technology meeting the needs of the transforming military. • Employ resources to build and strengthen enduring partnerships resulting in resilient strong communities Are you ready to empower yourself? For more AFTB information, call DSN 485-8188 or CIV, 06738-6-8188. 10

Ship Wine the Right Way Written By Will Luna Relocation Readiness Program Manager

Whether it is Chianti Reserva from Italy; Grand Cru Burgundy from France; or a simple Riesling from the Moseland the best wine in world is the one YOU enjoy most! But what do we do when, after three years of traveling Europe and collecting wines, it is time to go back to the USA? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pour it down the drain or give it away; take it with you! Regulations regarding shipping wine have changed dramatically in the last 3 years, so forget what you used to know. Here are the facts about shipping your wine collection from Europe to CONUS. First, wine can be shipped as part of your House Hold Goods (HHG) shipment! That is great news for those of us who remember the days of using commercial shipping companies to import our collections. The not so good news is that this is a multi step process and something that will take time. As soon as you have orders and know what state you will be moving to, start the process! Your first stop should be the Transportation Office on Quartermaster Kaserne (BLDG 8724; 067836-7270 or x-7110). Let them know you would like to ship alcohol with your HHG shipment. After you are briefed by Transportation, your next step will be to contact the State Alcohol Control Board Authority for the state you are moving to (http://www.ttb.gov/wine/state-ABC.shtml). Inform the board you are a member of the US Armed Forces and are moving to their state. Request an Importation Permit for your wine collection. Laws vary by state and depending on which one you move to you may incur taxes or fees in order to ship your wine. Once you have obtained your permit, the works is not yet done! You will also be required to report: Description of Wine/alcohol; Quantity of Each Type; Year Produced/purchased; Value at time of purchase; Alcohol Content (%); Country of Origin; and Total Value. Ensure you keep an extra copy of these documents with your important paperwork as you travel. Finally, remember that wine shipped in your HHGs can only be for personal use and your total HHG weight (including wine) must be less than your total weight allowance. For more information or to get an in-depth Relocation Counseling, stop by the Relocation Readiness Program office at ACS or call 067836-8188.

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Baumholder ACS Newsletter-Winter Edition 2010