Written By: Christina Etchberger, Founder of It’s a Military Life
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” —
Audrey Hepburn
Think back to moments in your life when you were at a school, hospital, or local event. Who truly made your experience worthwhile and the event itself successful? Without a doubt – the volunteers!
It’s a Military Life has been greatly blessed with volunteers – on our professional team and with our VPPs and Ambassadors through Veteran Pen Pal Project. IML wouldn’t be where it is today without these amazing men and women who have given their time and shared their talent with our community.
As I write this, I’m in South Korea with my family, counting on my team to hold down the fort in America while we PCS to a whole new country. I’d like to thank the professional volunteer team by sharing a little bit about each member and their role at IML. I’m truly grateful!
Veteran Pen Pal Project Team
Jenna is extraordinary! She is not only the Program Manager for Veteran Pen Pal Project, but the Chief Editor of itsamilitarylife.com. Jenna in many ways is the face of our program. She coordinates the logistics of the Project itself – recruiting and managing the volunteer Pen pals and ambassadors, connecting and informing our large network of community and Veteran organizations, creating the incredible graphics and newsletter while engaging with everyone on social media, and so much more! Thanks to Jenna we have increased our volunteer numbers significantly and our program reach tremendously. Thank you, Jenna!
Kyra is such an inspiration! She is incredibly driven and has done amazing things for our program, specifically in her role as Director of Community Affairs and Fundraising Outreach. Kyra has not only expanded our network with partnering businesses and nonprofits, but has led multiple events to further advocate for the cause and showcase our work for the community. She leads the project with such positivity and motivates us all to put our best foot forward. Thank you, Kyra, for all your amazing work!
Want to learn more about how you can give back? Click the link below!
Cohort Immersion Program
It’s a Military Life is proud to announce after a successful pilot program, we will be developing a Fall Series with the help of multiple military spouses using their expertise to make it happen! I’d like to highlight one of the many military spouses on the team: Carissa Gita.
I will introduce our newest member in a special feature next week! Stay tuned!
Thank you to our intern Sarah Benavides for making the pilot program such a success. Thank you for going above and beyond!
Carissa is the Chief of Operations for It’s a Military Life, and specifically works with leading the development of It’s a Military Life’s cohort immersion program. Carissa is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met – unbelievably motivated, organized, and an incredible team player. She shines and inspires wherever she goes, and we are so lucky to have her on our team. Thank you, Carissa!
Special Thanks to Matthew Shanks, Founder of Kovii
Thank you Matthew for supporting us after you participated as a partnering business during our pilot program. We are so thankful for your time and dedication to our community. Your app Kovii has been instrumental part of why our communication is so successful among our team members. Thank you!