Your Hawaii Military Spouse Resource Guide
Thank you, military spouses
Photo by Meg Becker / meggobytes
First of all, let us start this post by saying thank you to all the military spouses out there. We understand the sacrifices you make to support your spouse and your family. If you need a little extra support, read on about these available resources.
For families PCSing to Hawaii, there are a bunch of resources, especially if you know where to find them! In this post, we’ve outlined a series of military spouse resources to make your transition and life in Hawaii a bit easier.
Career Resources
Did you know that military spouses are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the overall U.S.? While this might be a discouraging statistic, there are organizations dedicated to assisting military spouses find jobs. There are also companies that are committed to hiring military spouses!
First, you’ll want to start by looking into Military OneSource’s Spouse Education & Career Opportunities. Start by setting up an appointment with a career counselor. This person can advise you on scholarship and professional development opportunities, work with you to find a career path that fits your interests and skills, and help you navigate the online resources to find job postings.
You can also check out Hiring Our Heroes. The organization is part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and works to help veterans, service members and military spouses find meaningful jobs. Currently, they have an initiative called Hiring 100k with the goal of finding 100,000 spouses employment!
Finally, you can look into companies that make a point of hiring and educating military spouses! Yep, those exist. For example, visit USAjobs.com to look for government jobs that give preference to spouses. Even Google has a program – they’ve recently launched Grow with Google that gives scholarships to military spouses looking to get into IT.
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Family Resources
Let’s face it; moving away from your family and friends is tough. Having support with childcare is essential. And here in Hawaii, there are some great options! Visit Hawaii’s MWR website to find information on authorized childcare, youth sports, and on-post Child Development Centers. If you have questions, you can find a local phone number here.
Another key component to a healthy family is a healthy relationship with your partner. There are marriage enrichment programs in each branch of the military; these offer things like weekend retreats and communication techniques.
Travel Resources
You’re moving to one of the best vacation destinations and you should definitely take advantage of the MWR’s travel benefits. Head to the MWR offices at the NEX or on Fort Shafter and they’ll help you book some great excursions. Get discounts on popular attractions, hotels and even out-of-state travel!
Health and Wellness Resources
Enjoy a therapeutic massage and spa services at Massage Therapy Center & Spa inside Hickam Memorial Fitness Center. Enhance your overall well-being and pamper yourself!
Photo by alan caishan on Unsplash
In the midst of the stresses that come with being a military spouse, it’s important to take time to care for yourself. Whether that’s going to the gym to sweat it out or treating yourself to a massage for some much-needed relaxation. Each base has a fitness center and Hickam and Pearl Harbor both offer a variety of fitness classes like spin, Zumba and yoga -- these classes cost $3!
In addition, many local gyms and boutique fitness studios also offer discounts for military spouses. Two examples are Orange Theory Fitness and CorePower Yoga – just to name a few.
Not only that, did you know there’s a Massage Therapy Center and Spa on Hickam? Yep, you can get massages, facials and reflexology.
Online Community
In addition to the services you’ll find on base, don’t forget about online resources. Social media allows us to connect with people and there are a bunch of Facebook groups and pages dedicated to military spouses. Here are just a few
Pages
· @USOHawaii
FB Groups
In addition to all the resources we’ve mentioned, here are some more links you might find helpful!
