ENID — There is a saying in the U.S. Air Force: “recruit airmen, retain families.”

To that end, Airman & Family Readiness Center at Vance Air Force Base offers a wide variety of services and activities to assist families.

A&FRC’s programs are open to families from all branches of the service, including Army National Guard, as well as retirees.

When families are first assigned to Vance, they are contacted by A&FRC.

“It’s a matter of getting their personal contact information and making personal contact with them,” said Greg Waide, A&FRC director, “just to see what their needs are, introduce the services that we have to offer to them and answer any questions they have.”

Under the Air Force’s sponsorship program, each servicemember and his or her family are sponsored by the member of an on-base unit.

“The sponsor maintains contact with them all the way through and makes sure they are being taken care of,” said Waide. “After they arrive, the sponsor shows them around and introduces them to the unit.”

Vance’s modest size works in its favor, Waide said, when it comes to welcoming new airmen and their families.

“We have the advantage, being a smaller base with not as many inbound people, that we can make that personal contact with the families,” he said.

Once families arrive on base, the A&FRC’s programs kick into high gear. For spouses new to the military, the Heartlink program provides orientation, including a briefing from the wing commander regarding how the spouse fits into the base’s mission. Each spouse then gets a special coin.

“That shows them they are part of the team,” said Ruthie Wisdom-McMeans, community relations director for A&FRC.

Other groups on base, such as the Integrated Delivery System, which combines all base helping agencies; the commissary; the base exchange; and base services, also give presentations at Heartlink.

“It is just a really big overview, in four hours, of what the military has to offer,” Wisdom-McMeans said.

Networking also is a part of Heartlink, she said, which helps spouses new to the base make friends.

Key spouses or commander’s spouses from each unit will hold welcome events for new families and hand out copies of “The Spouse’s Guide.”

“There’s several avenues so that these new spouses get all the information that they need to make sure they are starting off on the right foot,” Waide said.

The spouse employment program assists spouses who want to find jobs in the Enid community. The program helps spouses put together their resumes, conducts mock job interviews  and contacts community employers about potential job openings.

“That’s a really hard thing to do because a lot of employers don’t want to hire spouses because of the length of time they are going to be here,” said Maggie Laws, work life consultant with Vance A&FRC. “We try to go out and rekindle some relationships as much as we can and try and advocate for our spouses.”

Terri Presa, A&FRC’s school liaison officer, works with local schools to help ease the transition for military children moving to Vance. This includes making sure records and credits are transferred. Each child also is assigned a peer mentor.

“That’s so they don’t go to school by themselves,” Presa said, “they have a best friend when they get here.”

For special needs families, there is a support group that meets every third Monday. In April, designated Month of the Military Child, a picnic is planned at Putt-Putt.

When military members are deployed, Tech. Sgt. Bobbie White, readiness non-commissioned officer for A&FRC, takes over.

Each airman and his or her family are required to meet with White before the servicemember leaves on a remote assignment or a deployment for more than 30 days.

“We’ll go over common sense information that sometimes we might forget if we’re going to deploy or under some stress, like who’s going to do the bills when you’re gone, who’s taking care of the house,” she said.

Hearts Apart, a program for spouses and families of deployed airmen, includes Car Care Because We Care, a free oil and filter change and a 15-point safety inspection paid for by Air Force Aid Society. The Readiness Emergency Sleeping Tool program, or REST, transfers a photo of the deploying airman onto their child’s pillow, so the child can remain close to the absent parent. Deploying parents also can record themselves reading to their child, and A&FRC will make DVDs of family activities to send to the deployed airman.

“Give Parents a Break,” provides free child care once a month for deployed families, and the monthly Single International Gourmet Meal Opportunity, or SIGMO, provides food and fellowship for single airmen and families of those who are deployed.

Hearts Apart holds monthly meetings for deployed families, providing dinner, a movie, picnic, crafts or bowling.

“It’s free and they can come and meet other families that are going through the same kind of separation and stresses,” White said.

Coffee Chat offers spouses another opportunity to meet and share experiences, and to network with spouses of the base’s leadership.

The programs are detailed in a monthly Hearts Apart newsletter distributed to deployed spouses.

At Christmastime, Operation Cookie Cutter involves baking cookies to send in care packages to deployed Vance members.

In late April, a ceremony will be held honoring children of deployed airmen as Hometown Heroes, and all other military children will be recognized, as well.

“That’s so they can get that recognition they deserve for being heroes at home,” White said.

In October, Operation Kids will allow Vance children to “deploy” to a location on base, giving them some insight into what their parents go through when preparing to be sent overseas.

“It sort of demystifies the process for them so it’s not such a scary, unknown thing,” Waide said.

The Landings at Vance, the privatized housing area on base, also offers a scrapbooking program for its residents.

Angel Dominguez, career readiness consultant for A&FRC, and Wisdom-McMeans combine to offer financial advice and help for airmen.

Transition Assistance Program helps military members as they prepare to retire or separate from the service. TAP covers everything from veterans’ benefits to making and sticking to a household budget.

Dominguez works primarily with student pilots, building financial portfolios for them. He also holds regular financial briefings for officers, while Wisdom-McMeans conducts similar meetings for first-term airmen.

“The whole goal is for us to prevent problems from arising,” Waide said.

“That’s one of the Air Force Instructions, that we have to teach them basic financial skills,” Dominguez said.

In case of emergencies, A&FRC often assists airmen and their families as they try to get home, helping with travel arrangements, as well as expenses.

The A&FRC also handles funeral arrangements for military members and retirees, as well as providing services for surviving family members.

“Even in the event of a military member’s death or a retiree’s death, we’re still taking care of the family by giving the military member the benefits, the honor and the dignity that they deserve,” Waide said.

The center also provides information for servicemembers and their families who want to volunteer in the community.

Under the Adopt-A-School program, each squadron on base adopts a local school. Airmen will do whatever the schools need, from acting as tutors or mentors to painting a classroom.

In case of a local emergency, A&FRC establishes Emergency Family Assistance Control Center.

“If something has caused a crisis, families can come to us for comfort, assistance and information,” Waide said.

Besides its core programs, A&FRC acts as a clearing house for information and help for military members and their families.

“We like to be the office that doesn’t send anybody away,” Waide said.

If Helen Nichols, Vance information and referral specialist, doesn’t know the answer, she will work to find it.

“I like to say, call us with any questions,” she said. “And we do get lots of different questions on a daily basis.”

Vance A&FRC has been recognized for its work. The center received Community Development Support Association’s Spirit of the Family Award in 2009.