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Exceptional Family Member Program events Saturday

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Five hundred families at Scott are enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program where program officials work with servicemembers who have a family member with a medical or educational disability.

The EFMP staff work to provide a family support system and host several base-wide events for family members who require special medical or educational services based on a diagnosed physical, intellectual or emotional disability. This month is no exception.

An Autism Awareness Walk will be held Saturday at 9 a.m., beginning at the Youth Center. Also, there will be a Youth Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to support the Month of the Military Child.

The Special Olympics program is hosting a track-and-field tournament at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville at 9 a.m. Saturday. Special Olympics supports nearly 21,000 athletes and focuses on promoting a sense of athleticism and sportsmanship.

Col. James Howe, Air Mobility Command headquarters, said the EFMP is an extremely valuable resource to families with special needs.

"Resiliency is tough enough; it's tougher for special needs families," he said. "EFMP provides contacts that help each family increase their overall resiliency in their own way. My family benefits from the several programs they have to offer like the Special Olympics.
The base participation in this program allows my son to learn how to participate in both team sports and individual competition furthering his cognitive and social development."
Alice Howe agreed with her husband, saying that the EFMP has been great for her family.

"Without this program in place, our family would not have been able to attend as many outings," she said. "We feel like part of the community. Now, we have something to do each week or month like all other families at Scott."

Brenda Reed, EFMP family support specialist, said that having these kinds of events helps the families stay resilient because they provide opportunities for them to get out and meet each other, work together and know they are not alone.

"These events provide support for our families with special needs children," Reed said. "It helps them network, get out in the community and meet new people so that they know they aren't the only ones experiencing the difficulties that come with being a military family and having additional needs, such as medical."

With April being Autism Awareness month, Reed said that the most important thing for people to know about autism is that no two children diagnosed with autism are the same.

"There's a really big misconception out there," she said. "It's thought that people with autism fit in a box, and that's not the case. One child with autism can be 100 percent different than another child with the same diagnosis."

The EFMP receives a lot of support from the base, according to the family support specialist.

"We do a lot of events and activities through the year," Reed said. "We have a lot of support from the military community. At our Easter event, we had more than 50 volunteers. A lot of our volunteers come back for other events. Knowing that the support is there and that the Airmen are so anxious to help is very nice."

For more information on future events and volunteer opportunities, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 256-8668.