Friends And Family
Supporting Our Military

Deployment Buddy Guidelines

1. Meet your family in a neutral location unless a prior relationship has been established and the family invites you to their home. Great Lakes Chocolate in Sturgis has agreed to allow Deployment Buddies to use their store as a meeting place and there are several other possible meeting places.
2. During the first meeting provide the family with their “Deployment Survival Kit.” Part of the kit is the list of contents. Make sure you go over the list with the family.
3. One of the best things we can do is listen. Be a care-full listener. If an appropriate level of trust is established, you can give the family your contact information and make yourself available to listen when needed.
4. We are not counselors so do not give advice. If a family member needs help be sure to refer them to the appropriate organization or agency.
5. Do not lend money, give money, or provide ‘things” even if the family requests it. If there are needs the family should be referred to the appropriate organization or agency or a request should be put before the “FAFSOM” group to provide support.
6. Meetings should be held on a fairly regular basis (once every other week or once a month). It is important that Buddies be consistent in their support of the family.
7. We are working on some business card layouts so that you can print out your own business cards. Once we have these, please leave a business card with your family. Put the information you want them to have on that card.
8. Invite the family to participate in FAFSOM. Share our next meeting date and location. Get an email address so we can send them all of our updates.
9. If the family desires contact from someone from the faith community, we can refer them to our Chaplain, Dr. Lowell Walsworth. Dr. Walsworth can help them contact a local pastor, connect them to a church family, or provide some interim services himself.
10. If there are children in the family, we can connect them to early childhood services if they are not yet in school and/or school services if they are of school age. Find out what school they attend and we can connect with school administration and/or counselors if the family so desires.
11. Before you leave, schedule the next meeting date and time. Be dependable and keep in contact with your family.