Behind every change that improves the lives of military spouses and families, someone has pushed to make it happen.
The work is rarely glamorous. Consistent networking and a stroke of luck are the easy parts.
The rest is nose-to-the grindstone, day-after-day pushing, prodding, talking and simply believing that achievement is possible. It becomes a central, consuming focus.
And changemaking can be lonely work, not to mention that it's rarely acknowledged.
Military.com wants to change this. And that's why we are excited to announce the Military.com Spouse Changemaker Award.
Designed to acknowledge a person who has worked tirelessly on an issue to better the lives of military spouses, the awardee will be announced and recognized the week of May 5.
Other awards, such as the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year award, do an excellent job of elevating and shining a light on military spouses who do the hard work of holding up our communities. We are not duplicating that effort.
What is needed, though, is a single-minded, issue-focused recognition of one person for the impact they have made on the military spouse community.
Selected by a panel of Military.com experts, the Military.com Spouse Changemaker Award is open to anyone -- military spouse or veteran, civilian or military, public servant or stay-at-home mom -- who has worked to improve the lives of military spouses.
We want to shine a light on someone whose work has had a substantial impact on the military spouse community.
As the executive editor of Military.com and a military spouse, I know that changemakers are out there because I see them working and I have enjoyed the fruit of their labors. They have worked tirelessly to ensure that military spouses can get jobs, have social support, can access child care, pursue their educations, attend conferences and support one another.
Now, it's time to let the world see them too.
-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
