Airman and Family Readiness Center has services for all Published Sept. 7, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Carrie M. Peasinger 931st Air Refueling Group MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Air Force Reserve members must be prepared for various circumstances that can arise throughout a career. Knowing how to prepare and where to go for assistance and support is important. The 931st Airman and Family Readiness Center is here for just that purpose. "Whether you are single, married, active duty, Guard, Reserve, DoD civilian personnel or an eligible family member, the Airman and Family Readiness Center can refer you to services that are available," said Senior Master Sgt. Gerald Janzen, 931st Airman and Family Readiness non-commissioned officer in charge. Some of the services include programs for employment and transitions, family support, readiness and deployment, relocation, school liaison, key spouse, and youth and school age activities. "Sticking to our mission to work collaboratively and build strong communities that promote self-sufficiency and enhance mission readiness, retention and adaptation to the Air Force way of life by providing total force members, their families, and leadership with measurable and effective services is what we are here to accomplish," said Tech. Sgt. Edward Gomez, 931st AFRC assistant non-commissioned officer in charge. "We accomplish our mission through educating and training members," said Janzen. Since deployments are a steady occurrence for reservists, members and their families can turn to the AFRC for help through deployment preparations. They will also receive information on the Key Spouse and Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Programs. "When a member is gone, spouses need to know that they are not forgotten. There are many programs and services we can educate them about to keep their family informed and active," said Janzen. Gomez said some of the programs available include the "Give Parents a Break" program, in which the Air Force Aid society will pay for age-eligible children to be cared for at the Child Development Center or the School Age Program. While a spouse is gone, they will also pay for an oil change and a 15-point safety inspection. Additionally, each month there are special activities in the "Hearts Apart" program, which is designed to bring together families that are experiencing the hardship of separation. "Each of these unique programs helps us to make life a little more comfortable for our members," said Gomez. "We are sort of like a chamber of commerce of a town. We advocate and help spread the word about all the local services and programs available. We have recently started working with active duty readiness as well as with the National Guard statewide so that down the road we can be a one-stop shop for all the services available in Kansas," said Janzen. "Many members don't know what we have to offer or are even aware that we exist. Our big focus has been on getting the word out. The more we are able to assist members in readiness, the better we are able to maintain the mission of the Air Force," said Gomez. For more information, contact the 931st Airman and Family Readiness Center at 316-759-2589, by e-mail at 931ARG.AirmanAndFamilyReadiness@us.af.mil or "like" them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/931stAirmanAndFamilyReadiness.