A portion of all profits from
Stampers™ Military Sales will
be donated to the National Military Family Association (NMFA).
Consumers cam purchase the cookies here online at Cookie Club
of America and pledge a box for a soldier stationed
overseas.
ABOUT NMFA
The
National Military Family Association (www.nmfa.org) is a national nonprofit membership
organization whose sole focus is the military family. NMFA's mission
is to serve the families of the seven uniformed services through
education, information and advocacy.
NMFA's
Primary Goals
- To
educate military families concerning their rights, benefits
and services available to them and to inform them regarding
the issues that affect their lives and. . .
- To
promote and protect the interests of military families by influencing
the development and implementation of legislation and policies
affecting them.
Some
Accomplishments
- Adoption expense reimbursement for active
duty military families
- A
comprehensive dental plan for active duty family members
- Student
travel allowance for families stationed overseas
- Increased
active duty survivor benefits
- Cost
of Living Allowance (COLA) for service members stationed in areas
in CONUS with exceptionally high cost of living
History
and Mission of NMFA
The
National Military Family Association was organized in 1969 as the
National Military Wives Association by a group of wives and widows
seeking financial security for survivors of uniformed service personnel
and retirees. From their efforts, the Survivor Benefit Plan came
into being. In the ensuing years, NMFA has been in the vanguard
of advocacy for improvements in the quality of military family life.
The name of the organization was changed in 1984 to reflect the
broad scope of its involvement. NMFA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) association.
NMFA
has members from all ranks of the seven uniformed services worldwide
and their families. A working Board of Governors (including active
duty service members, reserve component, retirees and spouses),
sets the policies, approves the issues, and oversees operations.
Governors, Departmental Vice Presidents and officers receive no
financial compensation, and volunteers principally carry out NMFA
programs. NMFA is privileged to have a distinguished Board of Advisors.
We have significant support at the top levels of the services and
we work regularly on common concerns with the Council of Military
Organizations, The AD HOC Committee, and The Military Coalition.
NMFA
activities revolve around programs to educate the public, the military
community, and the Congress on the rights and benefits of military
families AND to advocate an equitable quality of life for those
families. Members of the Government Relations Department study issues,
testify before Congressional committees, work with Congressional
staffs and represent NMFA on subcommittees of the DoD Office of
Family Policy and on councils for the Department of Defense Dependents
Schools (DoDDS). We speak regularly to all types of groups, including
family service organizations, Commanders' Conferences, and officer
and enlisted spouse clubs. More than 100 NMFA Representatives in
the field extend our presence worldwide. NMFA has access and credibility
in areas where it CAN and DOES make a difference.
Since
its inception in 1969, the effectiveness of NMFA is reflected in
accomplishments in most of the issue areas in which the association
works. These include medical and dental benefits, dependent education,
retiree and survivor benefits, relocation and spousal employment.
In 1985 NMFA was one of the first organizations to testify before
a Senate sub-committee on the critical state of health care for
military families.
NMFA,
"The Voice for Military Families," is dedicated to providing information
to and representing the interests of family members of the uniformed
services on which our national security depends. If you are interested
in scheduling an NMFA presentation or requesting NMFA promotional
materials, please contact calhoun@nmfa.org.
NMFA
Notables
NMFA
is one of the original 12 co-founders of The Military Coalition
(TMC), a group of 35 military organizations that represents 5.5
million active duty, National Guard, Reserve and retired servicemembers
plus their families and survivors.
NMFA
is the only association invited by the Department of Defense (DoD)
Office of Military Community and Family Policy to serve on the DoD
Joint Family Readiness Working Group, whose purpose is to coordinate
information and share best practices to support families during
times of deployment and high operational tempo.
NMFA,
in addition to being invited to provide input on DoD Dependent Education
Activity (DoDEA) programs and initiatives, remains the only organization
whose work encompasses all aspects of the education of military
children: both civilian and DoD schools, funding, parent information
and involvement, Office of the Secretary of Defense and Service
support.
NMFA
is invited to testify before Congress on family issues each year.
In 2002, NMFA testified six times, and has testified four times
thus far in 2003. In addition, NMFA testified before DoD’s Reserve
Policy Board regarding family support in 2003.
In
June 2002, NMFA partnered with the National Endowment for Financial
Education to produce and distribute an award-winning financial literacy
booklet entitled Military Families: Money and Mobility. To date
NMFA has distributed more than 200,000 copies.
In
March 2003, NMFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DoD,
which entrusts NMFA with the coordination and management of financial
literacy training for military families (to include servicemembers).
NMFA may visit installations in order to accomplish its objectives
in educating and training military families in issues pertaining
to financial education. NMFA is the only non-profit organization
tasked with this responsibility, and must recognize, support, and
coordinate the education and training provided by other non-profit
organizations in order for them to have access to military families.
In
July 2003, NMFA was the only association invited to the Pentagon
ceremony at which the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of
Labor signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding military spouse
employment. NMFA has been asked to provide input to the Departments
as they develop and implement programs to improve spouse employment.
NMFA
is sought after as a subject matter expert on military spouses and
families by researchers (e.g. RAND), the General Accounting Office
(GAO), and various working groups and advisory panels.
Among
other groups, committees, and panels, NMFA is a member of, or works
with, the following:
