The document summarizes the various programs and services provided by the Joint Services Support (JSS) program of the Arkansas National Guard to support service members, veterans, and their families. It outlines programs that provide counseling, youth programs, employer support, funeral honors, and assistance during deployment. The goal of JSS is to ensure military families and those who have served have access to support and resources to help with challenges related to military service.

1. Arkansas National Guard
J O INT SE RVI CE S
S UP PORT PROG RAM
LTC Shannon Saucy
Branch Chief
(501) 212-4012
Military Family Life Consultants
(501) 574-8084
Survivor Outreach Services
(501) 212-4055
Transition Assistance Advisor
(501) 212-4089
Yellow Ribbon Program
(501) 212-4073
Family Readiness
(501) 212-4019
ARNG Child & Youth Program
(501)212-4077 or 212-4037
Resiliency, Risk Reduction and
Suicide Prevention Program
(501) 212-4099
Employer Support of the Guard
and Reserve (ESGR)
(501) 212-4018
Military Funeral Honors
(501) 212-5979
Family Assistance Center
(501) 212-4034
Director of Psychological
Health
Army (501) 212-4131
189th AW (501) 987-8752
188th FW (479) 573-5747
JSS Building 7301 Kansas Ave. Camp Joseph T. Robinson
North Little Rock, AR 72199-9600
From the State Family
Program Director
When I arrived at Joint Services
Support I immediately discovered a
team of dedicated professionals
whose service is essential to mission readiness. Years of war, deployment and disaster response
have created stress on our forces
that don’t just go away as the operational tempo decreases. Unemployment, medical issues such as
PTSD and TBI, relationship stress
and other factors can all potentially
detract from readiness.
JSS is a busy and dynamic program that works not only with
Guard members, but veterans,
survivors and all of the branches of
service including active and reserve. We have specialists across
the state helping Service members
and Families faced with challenges
stemming from emergency response to deployment.
Employer Support of the Guard
and Reserve (ESGR) is a valuable
resource that builds relationships
with Arkansas employers, creating
a communication bridge for both
job conflicts with military service
and employment opportunities.
When Service members deploy, the Yellow Ribbon Program,
Family Assistance Centers, Family
Readiness Groups and their volunteers are there for support.
Even as Service members transition from military service, programs like the Transition Assistance Program, Veterans Opportunity to Work, and even Survivor Outreach Services provide
continuing support.
Military Funeral Honors works
with veteran’s service organizations to provide military honors
to over 1,300 funerals per year.
Suicide is one of the most devastating problems our organization faces. Resilience, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention provides training for leaders and
Soldiers to ensure that support is
always there for our Service
members, but its focus is to give
Soldiers and Families the skills
and tools to properly respond
and cope.
Military children are also partners in the family’s commitment
to military service. To help, our
Child and Youth Program provides access to numerous youth
camps and programs throughout
the year.
Summer 2013
JSS also partners with community and state organizations for
additional local support.
Moving forward, JSS is working
to integrate its services to provide
maximum benefit while respecting
the program’s existing commitments. I am excited and honored
to be a part of JSS and the opportunities that it provides to our
Service members and their families.
We have specialists across the state
serving Service members and Families faced with challenges stemming
from emergency response to deployment.
LTC Shannon Saucy, CJ Walden and 1SG
David Smith at JSS office.
Family Assistance Centers
Soldiers, Airmen,
Civilians and Family are the strength
of our Nation and
have demonstrated
remarkable resilience over the past
12 years.
Family Assistance Centers are
located around the state to serve
the needs of Service members and
their families by providing six essential services.
FAC specialists are
available to assist with
information and referral
on legal, financial, crisis
intervention, community
outreach and TRICARE,
DEERS/ID issues.
During summer
months FAC specialist often help
Families with financial problems
such as utilities and childcare according to Dee Williams, FAC
Program Coordinator, and during
winter the program helps Families
in need with Christmas presents.
Whether pre, during, post deployment or Veterans, FACs offer
help to all Service members and
their Families regardless of branch
or duty status.
To find your local FAC Specialist, please call 501-212-4034.
One Call
Does It All

2. Arkansas National Guard
Child and Youth Program: Proud, Ready, Resilient
The Arkansas National Guard Child and Youth Program (CYP)
provides steady-state youth programming for Guard youth. Programs focus on four areas of positive youth development:
 Arts, Recreation and Leisure
 Sports, Fitness and Health
 Life Skills, Citizenship and Leadership
 Academic Support, Mentoring, and Intervention
The Arkansas National Guard realizes that our Guard youth, as
military children, face a unique set of challenges dealing with separation from a parent, difficulties with school, and feelings of isolation.
The CYP serves children and youth ages 6 through 17 and provides opportunities for youth to develop
their physical, mental, leadership, and social skills while building friendships and
receiving recognition.
Realizing that our Guard children and
youth are scattered throughout the state,
the CYP partners with other child and
youth programs such as Operation Military Kids, 4H, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Arkansas Military Child
Coalition. In this way, the CYP is able to
provide services to many rural areas.
In the development process is the
State Teen Panel and Teen Council. There
will be meeting announcements on
www.arguard.org. The plan is to hold quarterly meetings and activities in four regions
of the state and the meeting places will
rotate around each region to ensure the
The first team to reach the top of Pinnacle
greatest opportunity for those teens who Mountain during the 2012 Minuteman Youth
wish to attend.
Camp.
Also planned are family “training”
weekends where nationally recognized trainings will be used such as the 4
Lenses and 7 Habits of Highly Effective
Military Families. And we offer camps
throughout the year.
For more information, please call
C.J. Walden (501-212-4077) or
Charles Waddell (501-212-4037).
Licensed Clinical Providers
MFLC is
confidential and
available to
anyone
impacted by
balancing the
demands of
military career
and family
responsibility.
Have you ever wanted to talk to a
subject matter expert free of charge
and completely confidential? Military
and Family Life Consultants (MFLCS)
are licensed clinical providers available to provide counseling and consultation on issues like parenting,
anger management, relationships,
personal finance, deployment and
many other challenges Service members and their Families face today.
The MFLC program began in 2007
and has expanded through the state
offering services in the northwest,
northeast and central regions of
Arkansas.
The MFLC program also provides support to children and school
districts on military culture such as
reunion, reintegration, stress, coping, and loss.
The service is confidential and
available to anyone impacted by
balancing the demands of military
career and family responsibility.
For an appointment contact the
following:
Bouncing Back from Challenges and Adversity
As we go through life, we are
constantly faced with challenges
and adversity that have the potential to change how we look at life.
When we think of challenges or
adversity, because of our negative
biases, we focus on the negative
rather than the positive. Could a
new born child, a recent marriage,
or the purchase of a new home be
considered a challenge?
Of course, all of these possess
their own challenges and adversities. It doesn’t mean that they are
bad things, in fact they are very
joyous occasions and a welcome
Military and Family Life Consultants
intrusion to the typical – loss of a
job, death of a loved one, or the
separation of family associated with
deployment or a divorce.
So, why is it so difficult for us to
experience post growth from a
negative situation as opposed to a
positive situation? It is a natural
instinct to question ourselves about
how can I support another child,
will I be a good husband or wife, or
how will I handle the stress of a new
home?
Most of us will smile and face
these challenges as they come and
our post growth comes naturally
Northwest Arkansas
Audra Prince
(501) 215-0895
Northeast Arkansas
Anita Martin
(870) 530-7294
Central Arkansas
Carissa Bone
(501) 574-8084
because the positive feelings of the
situation trump the negativity associated with our negative thoughts.
However, when we are faced with
a negative challenge or adversity,
we have a tendency to spiral down
until our thoughts and emotions
are totally out of control.
Post growth from the negative
aspect can take time and can be
extremely difficult. Remain focused, enhance your character
through your experience, and build
on the positive aspects of the challenge in a manner that will make
you stronger when faced with
future challenges or adversity.
MSG Rex Surrette: (501)212-4956
Sometimes a
loss is the
best thing
that could
happen. It
teaches you
what you
should have
done next
time.
~ Snoop Dogg