BOSS takes on new challenges

BY SGT. GAVIN TOMENY, FAMILY & MWR BOSS PROGRAM

The Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) Program did not go unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While adhering to the social distancing standards and providing morale lifting events for single Soldiers, we looked to new ways to virtually interact with them.

Through social media, we held a number of virtual video contests for single Soldiers to compete in. They ranged from giving a weekend safety briefing to showing off their car in order to win a $100 gift card. These contests ran for 10 weeks and the videos were posted on our Facebook page: BlissBOSS. Soldiers were very creative with the videos showing off their cooking skills and they even did an extreme makeover barracks edition.

Following the stay-at-home order, we teamed up with the Art and Hobby Shop to offer a variety of art projects Soldiers could do in their barracks at no charge to them. These projects gave Soldiers a positive outlet, while maintaining social distancing standards. The Art and Hobby Shop created different types of kits for Soldiers to enjoy that included painting supplies, stepping stone kits, sand art kits, and some fun items to celebrate events such as, May the 4th Be With You.

Photos courtesy of Fort Bliss BOSS

Texas Roadhouse at Freedom Crossing also jumped in with a donation of $25 gift cards for BOSS to give away to single Soldiers. There was another chance to win an additional $50 gift card to Texas Roadhouse, if single Soldiers posted a picture of themselves — enjoying their food — to our page.

Moving forward, we hope to see things getting back to normal. We plan to start small and slow. We will be adhering to all precautions and best practices put out by the Army, Fort Bliss, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines We will eventually begin to offer outings and volunteer opportunities for Soldiers again. This will mean different types of events and different logistical hurdles to overcome, then what we were used to. Regardless, BOSS will move forward and continue to support morale here on Fort Bliss.

We look forward to continuing events when the time comes, Photos courtesy of Fort Bliss BOSS follow us on Facebook to stay updated.