Army Community Covenant

In the sphere of military community support, Army Community Covenant operates at the strategic level. The organization aims at raising awareness and encouraging businesses, agencies and groups at the local and state levels to create and foster state and community partnerships that assist service members. The first phase of the program is the signing of the Community Covenant. Each community determines its own wording for the document and decides on the number of signatories, usually between 16 and 20 people. The signers often include governors, mayors, other civic leaders, a senior military representative and a service member as well as his or her spouse and child. The document is intended to be displayed in a public area. The purpose of the covenant signing is to invite states, cities and towns across the United States to demonstrate their support for the military community during this time of war-the longest in U.S. history with an all-volunteer force. Since April 2008, 85 communities have signed Community Covenants, and often the events become an opportunity to announce new regional initiatives or programs to support service members. Army Community Covenant's goal for 2009 is to offer every state, city and town the opportunity to host these ceremonies. More information, including contacts and how to host a ceremony, is available on the Web site or by contacting Maj. Gen. Craig B. Whelden, USA (Ret.). In addition, visitors to the site can learn more about other efforts designed to support military families as well as state and local best practices. Community Covenant was also featured in Outreach Opportunities Abound Through Community Covenants, from last month's SIGNAL Connections. The programs listed on these pages are not affiliated with our publication or association. We highlight these independent efforts as a service to our military and our readers. For more information about these programs, please contact the organizations directly.