Photo By Michael Strasser | The North Country Spouses’ Club offers a variety of social activities and volunteer...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (April 15, 2025) -- Margaret Ann Scott was new to Fort Drum last year when she attended a resource fair at The Peak.
The ballroom was filled with booths where representatives from Fort Drum and off-post organizations spoke about the support and services they provide to community members, as well as volunteer opportunities in the area.
One table that stood out had giant letters adorned in bright lights that spelled “NCSC.” That is where Scott met Patti Agard, from the North Country Spouses’ Club.
Agard asked about her interests, and she encouraged Scott to attend one of the club meetings – a Sub-Club to be exact.
The NCSC hosts several of these, ranging from a Crafting Club, a Toddler Club and Outdoor Pursuits Club to a Cooking Club and a Lunch Brunch Club.
Scott said she found kindred spirits at one of these meetings, and she was hooked.
“They were so much fun, truly the type of people I wanted and needed in my life,” she said.
When there was an opening for NCSC historian, a volunteer board position, Scott applied.
“I love taking pictures, so I volunteered just to capture those moments at all of our events,” she said. “It makes me happy, it makes other people happy … I love helping out in general, and that’s just my personality.”
Scott also volunteers with the Soldier and Family Readiness Group for Company I, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. Her unit recently nominated Scott for Volunteer of the Month because of her outstanding contributions.
“When you see your friends being less stressed because you’re helping, to me, that’s the real reward,” she said. “It’s more about supporting one another than volunteering. Like, if you’re stuck on the side of the road, you know there’s a group of people you can call.
“Or, one time I was sick, my husband is deployed, and I didn’t feel well enough to reach out to anyone,” Scott continued. “Shelly showed up and brought me some soup without me even asking. I cried because I wasn’t used to that. It’s just a really great community that you build here, and it’s one of the reasons I applied to be on the board next year.”
At previous duty stations, Jenna Ladouceur said that she always found people she could socialize with by joining the Soldier and Family Readiness Group or a book club.
“And I loved that,” she said. “And I wanted that here, just a solid group of friends.”
She heard about the NCSC on social media, and then another spouse encouraged her to join.
“Everyone was so welcoming,” she said. “They were like, ‘Join this, come to this, let’s do this.’ And I’m still new here, so I’ll try and go to as many things as I can.”
That includes volunteer opportunities, which is a fundamental part of the organization. The NCSC mission is “to inspire a spirit of community at Fort Drum by providing scholarships, community grants, and opportunities for social, cultural, and creative pursuits while fostering service through community projects.”
“If the NCSC is a volunteer-driven organization,” Ladouceur said, “it doesn’t feel that way because you are working with a team of spouses who collaborate and have fun while doing it.”
“I joined just so I could meet people, and then it kind of grew from there,” she continued. “If someone asks me to help out with something, and I have a bunch of free time, I’m going to volunteer. My husband is in the field a lot, he probably going to deploy next year, so he’s super supportive about me doing this.”
Tiffany Gallo had a similar experience when her family moved to Fort Drum just over two years ago.
“I’m originally from Florida, and I knew that Fort Drum had a very active Spouses’ Club,” she said. “I also knew the 10th Mountain Division is a high-speed unit, so I was going to need to make some good friends quickly – because who knows when my husband is going to deploy.”
Now on their second deployment, Gallo said the NCSC has been a positive experience for her right from the beginning.
“It’s been really great having all the spouse connections,” Gallo said. “You just show up, and the feeling is just, ‘We’re here for you.’”
Gallo took on a volunteer role in the club as the “Operation: Deploy Your Dress” manager. ODYD is a non-profit that provides free formal wear to military ID cardholders – spouses, service members and children – to boost morale in the community and increase attendance at formal military events. Fort Drum is one of 14 installations that has a ODYD facility.
Gallo said that people can volunteer with ODYD by emailing odydNCSCrep@gmail.com. The boutique is located in Bldg. 19945, on MSR Tampa Road, Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.
Penny Ezell joined the NCSC when her family moved to Fort Drum three years ago.
“I initially joined to meet other spouses, but it has become so much more than that for me,” she said. “I love our mission and how we are able to give back to the Fort Drum community and the surrounding communities.”
Ezell, who serves as NCSC president, said there is a focus on community outreach during the monthly socials where representatives from local nonprofit organizations are invited to talk about volunteer opportunities.
“Last month at our Pin Pals social at the bowling center on post, we highlighted the Urban Mission that serves Jefferson County,” Ezell said. “We were able to provide many non-perishable food items for their food pantry, as well as hygiene products, blankets, and other items.”
During this month’s Plant Bingo social, they will meet a representative from Samaritan Medical Center. The NCSC also will partner with the St. Lawrence County Foster Care Program to assist with school supplies and personal hygiene essentials.
“Another great way we connect with local communities is at our Members Day Out events,” Ezell said. “We love working with local businesses to create these events, and we are so blessed by the relationships we have formed with organizations that give to our live and silent auction every year during our Tree and Wreath Gala.”
The gala is the NCSC’s biggest fundraising event to support their scholarships and grants program.
Military dependents currently or previously affiliated with Fort Drum who are accepted into or attending a four-year college or university, a two-year community college, or trade school, are eligible to apply for scholarship.
Their grant program annually supports various local non-profit organizations. Last fall, NCSC members helped furnish a local elementary school with an emotional support animal. They also supported a local swim team with funds to purchase equipment.
In May, the NCSC will host a ceremony to award $17,000 in scholarships and grants.
The NCSC has a membership roster of more than 220 spouses, which exceeded their goal.
“We were really excited that membership has grown so much, but we put in a lot of work to reach our goal,” said Scott. “It wasn’t like a competition or anything like that. We were hopeful we could reach out to more spouses and Soldiers and just build a bigger community.”
In addition to spouses of active-duty service members, membership is open to Soldiers, retired service members and their spouses, Department of the Army civilian employees and their spouses, and spouses of Army Reserve Soldiers.
“My husband doesn’t know it yet, but when he gets back from deployment next year, he’ll be joining so we can go together,” Scott said.
To learn more about the North Country Spouses’ Club and how to become a member, visit www.northcountryspousesclub.com and follow www.facebook.com/NorthCountrySpousesClub.
“The NCSC is truly all about supporting the spouses who are our members by helping build community here on Fort Drum and also all about building relationships to help within our surrounding communities as well,” Ezell said. “We love to be out in the community making a difference.”
(Editor’s note: This article is part of a limited series about volunteerism at Fort Drum, leading up to the annual Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony on May 9.)
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2025 08:50 |
| Story ID: | 495326 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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