Key Spouse Program provides support and resources for those at home Published Oct. 5, 2015 By Tech. Sgt. Jim Brock 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- The spouses and families of deployed military members deal with difficulties on many levels. From emotional strain to challenges of everyday life, things like keeping after household chores and helping with the kids can be tough. The 910th Airman and Family Readiness (A&FR) Center offers the Key Spouse program to help with these concerns. The program enhances readiness and establishes a sense of Air Force community through spouse-to-spouse networks. Kimberly Krohn, the director of the A&FR Center, discusses how to join Key Spouse. “There is no joining,” said Krohn. Key spouse is not a social club. It’s more about believing that you have what it takes to be a great Key Spouse. We recommend talking with the First Sergeant in their unit and also with the Airman and Family Readiness Center for more details on the next training.” According to Krohn, Key Spouse is a commander’s program that promotes partnerships with unit leadership, volunteer Key Spouses appointed by commanders, families, the A&FR Center and other community agencies. The program is standardized across the Air Force to address the needs of all military families with special emphasis on support to families across the deployment cycle. Key Spouses contact the families of deployed members to offer help and guidance over any and all day-to-day issues from childcare to yard work, then use appropriate command channels to notify the deployed member. This significantly reduces stress for both the deployed and their dependents, said Krohn. According to the Key Spouse website, Air Force leaders realized they needed a more organized and standardized way to give families information and assistance and modeled the Key Spouse Program after the Navy's Ombudsman program. In 1997, the United States Air Force implemented the Key Spouse Program at five high-deployment bases where many lessons were learned in the area of assisting military family members. The Key Spouse Program was deployed Air Force wide in 2009 and recently redesigned in 2015. The Key Spouse program establishes continuous contact with spouses and families, encourages peer-to-peer Wingman support and provides links to leadership. Tech. Sgt. Kalee Lint, noncommissioned officer in charge of the A&FR Center describes the type of candidates the program needs. “We are looking for spouses, significant others and family members who wish to assist in caring for our deployed members, whether overseas in a combat zone or stateside for training, and their family members remaining on the home front,” said Lint. For more information about the Key Spouse Program, contact the 910th Airman and Family Readiness Center at 330-609-1305.