By Jay Taggart, DocuMaxx
The Belton community enjoys a close relationship with Fort Hood, the largest Army base in the U.S. military. Located just 20 miles to the west of Belton, Fort Hood is the home of over 50,000 soldiers, their families and thousands of civilians and retirees, many of whom live, shop, worship and attend schools in Belton. Through the leadership of the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce Military Relations Committee, Belton has formed an active relationship with Fort Hood’s leadership and military units. In October 2008, the City of Belton joined other Central Texas communities in signing the Central Texas/Fort Hood Army Community Covenant, renewing their commitment to building and sustaining partnerships that support the strength, resilience and readiness of Soldiers and their Families. The Citizens of Belton recognize the commitment that the Soldiers and their Families make every day, and are dedicated to providing community support to honor their sacrifices. Military Relations The Belton Area Chamber of Commerce Military Relations Committee participates in many of Fort Hood’s command ceremonies and Welcome Home Celebrations for soldiers returning from deployments. They provide support to units preparing to
pg. 10
deploy and support to the Rear Detachment Commands during deployments. They encourage community support for Fort Hood programs, including Santa’s Workshop and Wild West Night, that provide support to the military families. Adopt-A-Fort Hood Unit We have an active Adopt-a-Fort Hood Unit program, matching many of our businesses and organizations with specific Fort Hood units. They are able to share support for each other in a variety of ways, benefiting all involved. Living in the New Normal Through our Belton Military Family Support Committee, we sponsor Military Family Town Hall Meetings for Military families living in the Belton Independent School District. These meetings help in identifying and offering support to all of the military families living within the School District. Through the program, the Committee, along with Belton ISD, has helped start before and after school care programs and developed a Military Family Packet full of important and useful information about Belton the new families recieve as they register their children for school.
beltonchamber.com