Airman and Family Readiness equipped to help members impacted by COVID-19

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. Steph Sawyer
  • 142nd Wing / Public Affairs

If you’re a 142nd Wing Citizen Airman facing financial, employment, or other hardships due to COVID-19, the 142nd Force Support Squadron’s Airman and Family Readiness Program (A&FR) personnel want you to know that you don’t have to weather through these uncertain times on your own. 

A&FR program manager, Mr. Frank Fay wants Airmen to know that their lines of communication will remain open through this crisis. 

 

“Nobody should feel like they have to go this alone,” said Fay. “We maintain a physical presence in the office, we have text capability, we have [office] and cell phones, so there should never be a time when we are unreachable.”

 

A&FR offers nine core services dedicated to ensuring wing readiness on an individualized level. The program provides support, information, and resources that are pertinent to taking care of Airmen and their families. 

 

Lt. Col. Kelly Barton, 142nd Force Support Squadron Commander, expanded on the Airman and Family Readiness Program’s role in facilitating holistic unit readiness.  

 

“Airman and Family Readiness is a core function of having a ready force,” said Barton, “[We] offer programs, skills, and resources to Airmen and their families to improve quality of life, to improve opportunities for employment post service, to connect them with financial resources, to
be that conduit between families and the wing.”

 

If you’re in need of financial or employment assistance, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), offered through A&FR boasts a variety of curriculum centered around establishing career goals and developing professional skills. 

 

TAP is available to members during “touch points” in their careers and personal lives, be it marriage, promotion, having a baby, or transitioning out of the Air Force. COVID-19, having significantly impacted the lives of service members and their families, is considered a touch point. 

 

As such, the National Guard Bureau will provide ST (Special Training) days for service members to take TAP virtual curriculum online through Joint Knowledge Online (JKO). JKO can be accessed on any computer and without a Common Access Card (CAC). 

 

This online training offers a two-fold benefit: members receive training to improve their employment status and financial readiness, and they get paid while doing so. 

 

In addition to TAP, A&FR has connections to the department of labor, the worksource of Oregon and Washington, among other resources to help those looking for employment opportunities. 

 

Support is only a phone call or text away. Reaching out is a step in the direction of resolution.

 

“We don’t necessarily solve everything here in the office or over the phone, but we help people put together a plan of action,” said Fay. “A lot of what we do is help people determine what they really need as they vocalize it to us, then we get them connected with the experts.” 

 

If you are interested in TAP or any other services, support, or resources, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Program

 

Email

Phone: 503-335-4193 

Mobile: 503-201-1126 (call or text)