MFRI helps organizations advance change for military and veteran families

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue, in partnership with the Association of the United States Army, will host "Building Your Battle Plan to Support Military and Veteran Families" on Nov. 13 in Arlington, Virginia.

Led by experts and authors of MFRI’s initiative "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families," the event will bring guests from nonprofit and veteran service organizations together to create specific, targeted plans that support and advance transformational change in family support for military and veteran families.

The initiative, written in 2018 by Linda Hughes-Kirchubel, Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth and David S. Riggs, offers key insights that focus on how organizations can produce powerful supports for military families before, during and after major conflicts. Contributors integrated knowledge gained during their work with families and distilled recommendations into practical, experience-based chapters.

A panel discussion will kick off the event. Each panelist will provide the audience with insight on how to build plans of support that offer applicable solutions for military and veteran families. The panelists offer recommendation based on sector-wide experiences in the years following the 9/11 attacks. 

“These important groups are coming together to actively engage and collaborate to find solutions for military and veteran families,” said Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, MFRI director. “History has shown us that major conflicts can arise without warning. These changes affect military and veteran families in a variety of ways. With this in mind, the attendees will collectively build viable solutions that can be strategically implemented during a future major conflict.”

The 2017 and 2018 MFRI Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families awards will be presented at the event. Eight prominent scholars reviewed over 700 articles from each of those two years. Multiple rounds of review yielded the winning articles.

MFRI established the award in 2015 to recognize the best research on military-connected families. It is awarded to authors of research that combines exceptional rigor with important insights about military and veteran families. Nominations for this award are neither solicited nor accepted. Instead, a panel of top scholars reviews all the published research during the year and then determines the recipient.

About the Military Family Research Institute

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University conducts research on issues that affect military and veteran families and works to shape policies, programs and practices that improve their well-being. Founded in 2000, MFRI envisions a diverse support community that understands the most pressing needs of military and veteran families. To achieve this, MFRI collaborates to create meaningful solutions for them. This internationally recognized organization is located at Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

Association of the United States Army

The Association of the United States Army is the only private, nonprofit professional organization serving all components of the U.S. Army and its supporters. Since 1950, AUSA has provided a voice for the Army and vital services for soldiers, Army civilians and their families to advance the security of our nation. If you have a connection with the Army -- professionally or personally -- AUSA is your resource for exclusive access to scholarships and grants, business opportunities, educational resources, philanthropy initiatives, family programs, influential representation and genuine relationships with a supportive Army community.

Source: Sayde Uerkwitz, marketing communications specialist for Military Family Research Institute, 765-496-6073, suerkwit@purdue.edu