BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Melanie Fuhrman of Lawtey received quite a surprise when Florida National Guard Adjutant Gen. James Eifert presented her with the Florida Commendation Medal for recognition as the Florida National Guard Family Programs Volunteer of the Year.
Furhman was at the St. Francis Barracks in St. Augustine (the Florida National Guard’s headquarters), attending the Florida National Guard Family Programs’ annual workshop for family readiness volunteers.
“It was good to see everybody, but I had no clue they were springing that on me,” she said. “It was a huge shock.
Fuhrman is co-coordinator of the family readiness group for the 146th Signal Battalion along with Cassidy May.
“I support her,” Fuhrman said. “I’ve been in pretty much every volunteer role since 2007.”
Maj. Gen. James Eifert — Florida’s adjutant general — wrote a letter to Fuhrman, which congratulated her on the honor and expressing his appreciation for her “dedication, support and commitment to the soldier family.”
“You are the epitome of what it means to serve others,” Eifert wrote.
Fuhrman became involved with family readiness support when her husband, Mike, served in the Army. Her volunteer efforts continued when he joined the Florida National Guard.
Service to others comes naturally to her, said Fuhrman, whose mother was a Red Cross volunteer and whose father served in the Navy.
“I was raised that way — to be able to think about helping other people and to be selfless,” she said.
Family readiness volunteers assist families of Guard members when those Guardsmen are away from home. Basically, they point families in the right direction.
“Family readiness is important every day of the year because you never know when a soldier or their family is going to have a need for resources,” Fuhrman said. “We’re that liaison between the soldiers and their families and those resources. We don’t fix the problem, but we can get you — hopefully — to someone who can get you what you need.”
Fuhrman said most of the time, volunteers are assisting families in simple matters — which could fall into the areas of finances, benefits or health care — or helping them become aware of resources in their community when a particular need arises.
Sometimes, something beyond one of those simple matters occurs. For example, Fuhrman remembered one incident in which a woman received help in getting word to her spouse when a family member had died.
Assistance isn’t rendered solely during times of deployments. Fuhrman said she once talked to a woman whose husband was participating in annual training at Camp Blanding. The Guardsman’s cell phone had died, so his wife couldn’t reach him to tell him their son had been injured. The woman didn’t know what company her husband was in or what officers he served under.
“She may have known, but she was really upset,” Fuhrman said.
Through a series of phone calls begun by Fuhrman, the Guardsman was located.
Family readiness volunteers and the Guard’s Family Programs combine to create a support system that’s far-reaching, which is a necessity.
“We’re not stationed on a military post. We don’t all live at Camp Blanding. We’re all over the place,” Fuhrman said, adding, “(Guard families) just don’t have that same connection that an active-duty Army solider does living on a post or just outside of a military post. It makes family readiness that much more important.”
During times of deployment, family readiness volunteers will have get-togethers to celebrate such things as birthdays and holidays. Those provide opportunities for families to meet and interact with other families who “are living the same life you’re living,” Fuhrman said.
Fuhrman credited Beth Eifert, the wife of the adjutant general, who focused on improving Guard’s Family Programs so that Guard members and their families could receive the best support possible. Eifert worked with a group of volunteers (including Fuhrman), with one result being the creation of FloridaGuardFamilies.com. The website helps educate families on the Florida National Guard itself with its “Guard 101” section, and provides helpful information on planning for a deployment, what to expect during that deployment and what a family readiness group is. A resources section provides information on such things as benefits, military bargains, benefits, mental wellness, physical wellness, relationship wellness, financial wellness and the loss of a loved one.
“Being a part of that was just huge in trying to support our families and giving them a place to go,” Fuhrman said.
Being recognized for her efforts means a lot to Fuhrman because she knows those efforts are helping others. However, she will tell you that the Florida National Guard Family Programs Volunteer of the Year could’ve gone to one of a number of people.
“I would like to think I’m among just dozens and dozens of volunteers across the state who give a lot of hours and work tirelessly for their own military units,” Fuhrman said. “To have been selected was a big honor.”
