The holidays are a time for merriment and celebration, but during the excitement, let’s not forget about our veterans and first responders. According to one survey, 1 in 5 veteran families lives paycheck to paycheck. […]
To spread happiness and joy this holiday season, We Are One! Incorporation, CA, held a Thanksgiving gifts distribution drive as part of its Holiday Fundraising Campaign. 36 food baskets and 36 gift cards were donated to the American Veterans (AMVETS) Thrift Store located in Long Beach, California. We Are One! Inc., CA’s Holiday Food Basket Drive for Military Families One of the goals for We Are One! Inc., CA, during the holiday season 2020 is to raise $3,000 for more than 2,000 military service families and veterans currently living in Southern California. We aim to provide holiday food baskets and gift cards to as many military service and veteran families as we can. American Veterans (AMVETS) is a volunteer-led, non-partisan association formed by World War II veterans of the United States military. The organization is an advocate for all its members and supports causes that it deems helpful to the nation. Thanks to our generous donors and supporters, we donated 36 gift cards and 36 food baskets on November 17, 2020, to the AMVETS Thrift store located in Long Beach, California. These food baskets and gift cards will help mitigate emergency financial hardships for military veterans and their families throughout the Los Angeles area during the holiday season. We Are One! Inc., CA, is halfway through its goal and needs your help and support to raise the remaining half to reach the $3,000 goal! With your contributions, we will [...]
Thanksgiving season is just around the corner! As we spend time preparing for the holiday feasts, let us take some time to reflect on what we are thankful for. In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, let us all show gratitude for all the big and little things that we are blessed with in life. After all, Thanksgiving is all about recognizing your blessings and wishing good upon the people you love. Join hands with us as we recall the things to be thankful for this year and for a lifetime to come. We Are One! Incorporation Is Thankful For… America, the Greatest Country on the Planet It's about time we all realize that being an American is a blessing. As we beam on this national holiday, let's show gratitude for living freely in this country. America is a land where we all are free to practice our religions, eat whatever we want, dress however we want to, work in any profession of choice, marry whomever we wish, and watch, read, say and hear whatever we want. America is the Land of Justice that provides equal rights to every individual. So, let's be grateful this Thanksgiving season for being in this great country and pray for our beloved nation's prosperity. Military Heroes Who Put Their Lives on the Line No amount of gratitude is enough for military heroes who start and end their day by serving us. The number of [...]
More than 1.2 million US army children belong to the ages of zero to 23 years old. And around 50,000 military families have both parents serving in the forces; this means there’s a high chance that a couple may be deployed at the same time. It’s very possible that your little one could develop psychological problems if you’re an active service member. They might feel scared of military operations, intermittent separation, or dramatic television coverage in your deployment location, for example. Let's delve deeper to understand the importance of remedial action for mitigating the risk of severe mental illnesses in your child. While most army kids can handle a couple of deployments swiftly, the trouble starts with back-to-back deployment. The reasons your child needs extra support and care include: Distress Anxiety and stress—the most common mental disorder in military children—also include fear of separation, parents' death, sleep issues, and physical complaints such as headaches. Experts recommend getting immediate medical intervention if your child seems sad or talks negatively all the time. Pediatricians have also identified hypersensitivity, attention deficit, personality issues, and social isolation. Early Intervention The earlier you get to the root of your child's psychological issues, the better. Most military parents think the problems will go away once their children grow up. But conditions like insomnia and anxiety often manifest in teens and adults as tantrum and anger. Pre-Occupied Military Parent You may return from a combat zone [...]
Recovering and coping with the loss of a loved one is tough. Whether you've lost a parent, spouse, child, friend, or sibling, the sadness and shock don't go away for a while. The loss is particularly significant for military families who lose active-duty service members. Military men and their families not only battle with long-term separation, but also combat the uncertainty associated with military deployments. The Atrocities of COVID-19 on Active-Duty Members According to the latest Pentagon report, six troop members have lost their lives battling with the deadly virus. The deceased include members of the navy, reserve, National Guard, and aviation departments. Needless to say, dealing with a loss of loved one due to COVID-19 who was already deployed far away is heart wrenching. As the COVID-19 death toll rises by the day, military families fear their loved one might suffer the pandemic’s consequences too. Dealing with a Military Loss Hearing you lost a loved service member for the first time leaves you in a shock, unable to say or think. Military loss is tragic and dealing with it is an equally graving experience. Use our tips to stay poised during the challenging times: Don’t Speak Too Soon: Give the process a chance to run its course. Wait for the official notice before updating everyone. If you’ve been waiting for one and haven’t received it yet, visit the press release site and search for your service member’s name. [...]
The holiday season is just around the corner, and we could not be more excited! While holidays do mean spending, you should do so carefully to not end up in debt! Before you go all out and buy everyone expensive gifts, hear us out. To have fun during the holidays, you don’t have to spend a fortune; you just have to be smart. We Are One! Incorporation, CA, brings you some mind-blowing tips to celebrate holidays on a budget. So, please take a look at them to stay on the right financial track! Holiday Spending Tips 1. Create a Holiday Plan All good things start with a plan. Start planning your holidays in late September. Find out whether you will be hosting a party or attending one. If you are hosting one, decide your guest list and menu. Create a gift list, and decide whether or not you will be mailing gifts off. If you are used to large gatherings during the holiday, COVID-19 could impact the traditional friends and family gatherings, so having extra funds to mail gifts is recommended. Set a spending limit on each gift. Decide a theme for decorations or reuse decorations from the previous year. Create a timeline for October to December and write down your goals for each week. Dedicate a notebook to holiday planning and plan away! 2. Make a Budget and Stick to It It is recommended that everyone must be [...]
Now that October is here, we’re sure you are looking forward to carving pumpkins, designing costumes, decorating houses, and trick-or-treating. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic still lingering around, Halloween will be very different this year. But don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to enjoy and have a great time with your loved ones while practicing social distancing. We Are One! Incorporation, CA, aims to create awareness about how to keep safe on Halloween. Our purpose is to help military families and supporters make the most of this time. So, keep reading to find out how to ENJOY Halloween while staying safe! General Safety Tips for Halloween 1. Drive Extra Carefully Halloween is an exciting time for children since they get to go on a candy hunt! When you drive around residential areas, especially during trick or treating hours (5:50 to 9:30 PM), please be very careful. Drive slowly and watch out for children on the roads. Pay extra attention when you drive around intersections. Avoid all distractions, like your phone, while driving and pay attention. Keep your headlights on. 2. Avoid Costume Masks Choose non-toxic face paint over costume masks whenever possible. Masks, especially those that cover the whole face, including the eye area, can distort a child’s vision. As a result, your child could get hurt or seriously injured. Make sure your child’s headgear does not obstruct their vision. 3. Be Careful While Carving Pumpkins Carving pumpkins [...]
We Are One Incorporation raises awareness about prominent issues like finance and food insecurity, mental health, intimate partner violence, legal, child development disabilities, and other social and economic challenges that military families face in the hope of finding comprehensive solutions to fill existing service gaps. Approximately 1.3 million people in the United States are tied to the military, serving as active-duty personnel in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or as Coast Guards. These people sacrifice their lives so we can eat and sleep soundly in our homes. The path military families are on poses certain challenges for them. Many military families in Southern California are currently at a great threat from one main issue: financial hardship. These financial difficulties, mostly faced due to constant relocation and military geolocation assignments, put their stability at risk, leading to further problems like mental health issues, domestic violence, and food insecurity. Military families serve the nation out of the love they have for their country or to make ends meet, not to become millionaires. So, as citizens of the United States, there is an urgent need we must fulfill. We must provide financial relief for military families to help them sustain their living. There is a strong need for legislative authorities and funding organizations to come forward and take action to help military families. Financial Hardships Faced by Military Families 1. Emergency Savings According to a Military Family Advisory Network [...]
Military families don’t have it easy. From coping with frequent relocation to experiencing separation from the primary caregiver for long stretches, the frequent disruption in the routine of military families can lead to a range of mental and emotional problems for its members. These challenges become even more troublesome for military families with children with autism. Research shows that military families that have a child with ASD experience challenges associated with both the military lifestyle and having a child with special needs. By belonging to two groups that are already prone to support limitations and accessibility issues when it comes to therapeutic service, military families with a child with ASD are at an additional risk of higher levels of stress and difficulty obtaining ASD-related services. Let’s delve deeper into how children with autism in military families cope with the challenges of military life. How Do The Conditions Of Military Life Affect Autistic Children? According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 68 children is autistic. Additionally, military sources indicate that more than 20,000 military dependents have some form of autism. Challenges of a Military Family Military families are prone to temporary relocations or permanent change of station (PCS) approximately three times more than non-military families. The frequency of these relocations affects the military family unit and children. Children may experience the stress of the potential loss of their loved one and the absence of a support system. The [...]
Trigger warning: The content contains mention of domestic violence, r*p*, s*x*al violence, and emotional abuse. Reader’s discretion is advised. Intimate partner violence or IPV is a national public health issue. It’s a form of domestic violence where a current or former spouse inflicts physical, verbal, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse on the partner they’re in an intimate relationship with. Statistics show that 24 people per minute are subjected to intimate partner violence in the form of rape and physical violence in the United States. It’s a crime characterized by escalation and recidivism—meaning that the perpetrator is likely to repeat the abuse, and with more intensity over time. Intimate partner abuse in military families is also common. In 2018, the DOD reported over 17,000 incidents of intimate partner violence. Some of these even resulted in fatalities of the perpetrators or the victims. IPV not only results in physical and mental trauma for the victims of abuse, but also for the children who witness the abuse. It has both immediate and long-term health effects, along with significant costs to society. Let’s delve deeper into the issue of IPV and how you can help military families that have undergone similar circumstances. Intimate Partner Violence in Military Families Intimate partner violence is a significant social issue within the military population. It’s caused by several factors that include psychological disorders like posttraumatic stress disorder. Statistics show that the prevalence of IPV in military [...]
