Subscribe
A local military spouse is much more connected to her deployed husband after a recent gift from the local Family Readiness Group, a non-profit organization and Best Buy.
Allyson Robinson, the spouse of deployed Army Staff Sgt. Douglas Robinson of the 14th Quartermaster Company here, recently underwent surgery which prohibits her mobility around the home for weeks, particularly to a computer. For a family connected by thousands of miles through technology, the surgery created a barrier that seemed almost impossible to overcome, at least until she spoke with the Greensburg FRG.
Upon hearing the military spouse could not communicate to her husband via e-mail, Dorothy Benyacko-Carbisiero, the 14th QM Co. unit administrator and FRG leader, immediately contacted Bob McGowan of Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency and morale assistance for troops and military families.
"As soon as I saw that e-mail from Dorothy, I knew that it was a perfect fit [for Operation Homefront]," said McGowan. "In minutes after talking to the Board of Directors, it was approved."
The organization moved quickly and purchased a Toshiba laptop with funding donated by Best Buy to help Allyson stay connected to her husband in Iraq. Best Buy had donated $6,000 previously to the nonprofit's Pennsylvania and Delaware chapters to make in-store purchases in support of local military service members and their families.
Through the FRG, Operation Homefront and Best Buy's donated funds, the couple is again able to talk during this time of rehabilitation and overseas service.
"It's like the movie Pay it Forward," said Robinson, who said she was shocked to
hear about the computer.
While the gift was a surprise, Dorothy's actions were not, she said.
"Dorothy does such a great job...She's just so wonderful," said Robinson.
All three organizations came together to support the Robinson family and have a history of such support over the years. Best Buy, for example, supports military families from both a corporate and local level.
"Anything that we can do to help those in the community and overseas, we try to
support," said Josh Burd, operations manager at the local Best Buy.
McGowan, a business manager for Airgas, represents the company at Operation Homefront. The organization provides a variety of support to military families, from emergency assistance to car repairs. The organization can usually provide aid within 48 hours and is easiest to contact online, said McGowan.
The first-line support, however, is the FRG. Benyacko-Carbisiero's quick actions not only supported the Robinson family, but families in similar situations for years to come. Once Robinson recovers, the computer will return to the 14th QM Co. where it can be loaned to other military families in their time of need.
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2009 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 41922 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 254 |
| Downloads: | 236 |
This work, Family Readiness Group, Operation Homefront and Best Buy keep, by SGT Crystal Adamosky, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
