FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, A MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP - DEDICATED TO ALL FAMILIES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY. FOUNDED & DIRECTED BY: SAUNDRA V. HUNT IN NOVEMBER, 2001. SERVING ALL BRANCHES OF THE U.S. MILITARY, BOTH STATESIDE AND ABROAD. A DIVERSE ORGANIZATION WITH FAMILIES FROM: AKRON, BARBERTON, CANTON, CLEVELAND, CUYAHOGA FALLS, COPLEY, DOVER, HARTVILLE, HUDSON, STOW, TALLMADGE AND WADSWORTH, OHIO.

 STUDENT VETERANS' ONE- STOP SHOP

SENATOR SHERROD BROWN REPORTS THAT:  "AS A MEMBER OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS, I WAS ABLE TO PLAY A SUBSTANTIAL ROLE IN THE DRAFTING OF THE "HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNUITY ACT OF 2008.  FOR INSTANCE, AFTER LEARNING ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY'S SUCCESSFUL VETERANS' ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, I FOUGHT TO CREATE A SIMILIAR PROGRAM ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL.  THIS PROGRAM, WHICH HAS NOW BECOME LAW, WILL HELP SCHOOLS PROVIDE STUDENT VETERANS WITH A ONE-STOP, SHOP FOR HELP WITH FINANCIAL AID, CLASS SELECTION, VA BENEFITS, AND OTHER SERVICES."

LOCAL HONOR

FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP HAS RECEIVED MANY HONORS IN THE PAST WHICH WE HUMBLY ACCEPT AND APPRECIATE.  RECENTLY, OUR FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, SAUNDRA V. HUNT WAS INVITED TO SUMMA HEALTH SYSTEMS, "HEROES TRIBUTE". 

THE INVITATION ALONE WAS AN HONOR.  IT WAS AN HONOR  BECAUSE OF THEME OF THE EVENT, WHAT IT MEANS TO THE LOVED ONES OF THESE HEROES, AND BECAUSE OF ALL THE LOVE WORK AND TIME IT TOOK TO MAKE THIS EVENT A SUCESS. 

THEN SUMMA HEALTH SYSTEMS TOOK THE HONOR EVEN FURTHER, THEY REQUESTED THAT OUR BEAUTIFUL "LIGHTS OF HOPE CEREMONY", BE READ BY SAUNDRA.  WE KNOW WHAT "LIGHTS OF HOPE" DOES FOR US ON A MONTHLY BASIS, SO WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE PRESENT TO KNOW THE EFFECT THAT IT HAD ON EVERYONE LISTENING.

tHE HONOR DID NOT END THERE.  sUMMA HEALTH SYSTEMS WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THE WORDS IN OUR MONTHLY CEREMONY THAT THEY DECIDED TO DISPLAY COPIES OF IT IN THE LOBBIES OF AKRON CITY HOSPITAL, CUYAHOGA FALLS GENERAL HOSPITAL, AND ST. THOMAS HOSPITAL.

SEEN BELOW IS SAUNDRA HUNT, AS SHE READS "THE LIGHTS OF HOPE" AT THE "HEROES TRIBUTE AT SUMMA HEALTH SYSTEMS.

 IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF "hEROES tRIBUTE AT sUMMA hEALTH sYSTEM", JUST COPY THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR BROWSER: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sis=8acnwzdszcuhkw.  you can enjoy the slide show or look at the individual pictures. 

family and friends connected, military support group, thanks summa health system for thinking so highly of us.

SOUTH KOREA 

WALTER AND DIANE cade have moved to ANOTHER BASE,  IN SOUTH KOREA.

dIANE has been asked by a general TO BEGIN ANOTHER EXTENSION OF FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP IN THEIR NEW LOCATION. Diane will begin by canvassing the base on Monday, September 29th. It sounds like Diane was actually trained by Saundra!

After a meeting on base, Walter Cade received the following hand written request:

My name is Gary Hogman.  Some of you receiving this know me, some do not.  My wife, Cindy, is 32 years old and has just been diagnosed 3 days ago with stage 4 cervical cancer and her chances for survival are very slim.

She was pregnant with our second child and had miscarried recently at 3 months, and now we know why.  This is a request for you to tell everyone you know we are asking for prayer.  The more people that pray for her to be healed, the better.  Your prayer can, and perhaps will save her life.  Please ask everyone you know to pray for the HEALING of Cindy and the removal of all cancer in her body, so she may enjoy all that life has to offer, and to continue to be the wonderful mother to our 5-year-old son Michael.  The power of Prayer is unsurpassed.  I want the whole world to have her in their prayers the next few weeks.  God will hear our cry.  Please do not be offended by my plea.  This is only a request for your help.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this and helping with our request for healing!  No words can express the power we have when we each do a little to come together.

Regards,

Cindy's husband - Gary

Thank you, and please send it to the far reaches of our world.  We all know how strong the power of Prayer is.  Gary is serving in Iraq while his young wife is fighting cancer there in the states.  Remember:  PRAYER IS A POWERFUL THING.  Walter A. Cade

FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP CONTINUES TO THANK DIANE & WALTER CADE FOR ALL OF HER EFFORTS IN ASSISTING OHIO'S TROOPS.

IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN 

THE NAVY RESERVE NEWSLETTER CONTINUES TO BE READ IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, BRINGING UPDATES ON FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP.

WELCOME CHAPLAIN DEAN KULIEKE

FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP HAS A NEW CHAPLAIN. 

OUR NEW CHAPLAIN'S NAME IS DEAN KULIEKE.  DEAN IS A TRUE MAN OF GOD.  HE DOES HIS BEST TO GO WHERE THE LORD LEADS HIM.  WE ARE BLESSED THAT OUR LORD LED HIM TO US.

CHAPLAIN DEAN IS ALREADY HARD AT WORK, CALLING FAMILIES WHEN SOMEONE IS ILL OR GREIVING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE.

WELCOME TO CHAPLAIN DEAN KULIEKE, FROM THE FAMILIES OF FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP. 

OUR HONARARY TEXAN: DR. DAVID JONAS

AMBASSADOR TO THE ELDERLY

Our Ambassador to the Elderly, Helene Cade continues to remind the residents, visitors, and the staff at Bath Manor about supporting our troops. 

Mrs. Cade uses her daily announcements at the facility to announce Military Family month.  In addition, she encourages the residents to pray for their own loved ones serving in the military.

At Sunday Church services, Helene has asked for a special prayer period for our Military Families.

Bath Manor is a skilled nursing facility located on Smith Road in Akron, Ohio.

Contact Us Today!

In your Enlistment Packet is our copy of Your Journey Has Just Began. This brief yet powerful letter introduces you to Family & Friends Connected, A Military Support Group. We are a very active group that brings together duty Armed Forces members, their families, and friends to bear up and sustain one another.

Our Families come from several counties to enjoy a family night, monthly speakers, and to receive a much needed time out with others on  Common Ground.

This site is for Our Families,

We hope you enjoy it also. Visit often, as we will feature different Families and other items of interest.

You helped decorate our table, then you took shifts working our table along side our Director and...

They came and they came!  They asked questions, they talked and they complimented us on our the attractiveness of the table and most of all on how well staffed we were.  Our table was never empty!

Family & Friends Connected, Military Support Group did what it was formed to do:  Provide services to the loved ones of the US Military, both stateside and abroad. 

So many questions were asked and so many answers were provided.

Family & Friends Connected, Military Support Group, participated in the "WELCOME HOME CELEBRATION", Honoring The Men & Women Who Served in "Operation Enduring Freedom and "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

This event took place on September 14, 2008 at the beautiful Falls River Square Centre.

Family & Friends Connected, Military Support Group was honored with a space inside the awesome Falls River Square Ampitheater.

Family & Friends Connected, Military Support Group is actually a large family. A very LARGE family that grows weekly.We are a strong family "Standing in the Gap", for everyone who has served, or is now serving in the United States Armed Forces - Stateside and Abroad.

We will continue "Standing in the Gap", not only until the last person comes home, BUT also - until the last Military Family needs us. For we are all standing on "Common Ground".

 IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING DR. JONAS, PLEASE CONTACT SAUNDRA DIRECTLY, VIA E-MAIL OR TELEPHONE.

FROM TIME TO TIME, OUR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP. IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU, REMEMBER THAT IN EVERY ORGANIZATION THERE IS A "CHAIN OF COMMAND".

IN OUR SUPPORT GROUP WE DO NOT THINK OF IT AS A "CHAIN OF COMMAND", BUT AS ORGANIZATIONAL  PROCEDURE.

FOR OUR FAMILIES, THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD HAS DECIDED THAT ORGANIZATIONAL PROCEDURES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. INVITE EVERYONE TO THE NEXT MEETING.

2. PROVIDE THE WEB SITE ADDRESS.

3. REFER EVERYONE, AND EVERY  ORGANIZATION TO:

MONA M. BENNETT, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED, MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP: EMAIL BENNETT.MONA@YAHOO.COM

A CELEBRATION OF SEVEN YEARS

IT WAS A CELEBRATION OF FAMILIES, FOR FAMILIES! 

Alice Samuels, Celebration Co-ordinator and her committee put together another outstanding Anniversary Celebration!

The Navy Operational Support Center on Dan Street in Akron, Ohio was packed.  The center was full of families of Veterans, families that have lost loved ones, and families currently living the military life.

Alongside our families, sat dignitaries representing both houses of The Senate and  the United States Congress.  Also joining us were representatives from Akron City Council and mayors of two cities.

Accolades and Tributes were present to Saundra V. Hunt, Founder & Director of Family & Friends Connected, Military Support Group.

Saundra deserves every honor and kind word rendered on her behalf for her tireless efforts and constant dedication to Family & Friends Connected, Military Support Group. 

Alice Samuels began the evening with a gracious welcome to everyone.  Chaplain Dean Kulieke, followed with a heart warming prayer.  

A representative from Congresswoman, Betty Sutton's office began with a card and tribute to Saundra.  Our friend George Brown from Senator Voinovich's office followed, and then came a representative from Senator Sherrod Brown's office.

Mayor Don Robart of the city of Cuyahoga Falls, sent a tribute and a proclamation declaring November 14th as Family & Friends Connected Day in Cuyahoga Falls.  Akron City Council, President Marco Sommerville, Mayor Don Plusquellic  sent congratulations on seven years of service to area Military Families. 

A delegate from Summa Health Systems presented a plaque and thanks for Saundra's reading of our "Lights of Hope" ceremony.  Words of encouragement flowed from Laura Dunlap of the Women's Veterans, and Jamie Bricker of the American Red Cross.  

This year's surprise was on Mona Bennett, when she was called to speak impromptu on what Saundra means to her. It was one of the few times in her life when Mona was both shocked and speechless.

After more tributes to Saundra from the US Army and Sgt. Coates, a member of each family present displayed a picture of a loved one and told who they were standing in the gap for.

Last but definitely not least was the scrumptous feast prepared for all the guests.                                                                                                 

 SEVEN YEARS OF GROWTH AND BLESSINGS, WITH

FAMILY & FRIENDS CONNECTED. MILITARY SUPPORT GROUP.

Remember to direct questions, comments, ideas etc., to Mona Bennett, Admin. Assistant, Family & Friends Connected, A Military Support Group'

See below for contact information.