Gold Star Wife and Arlington Chapter Vice President, Ursula Palmer, is the Executive Director of military and veteran programs at the Cybercrime Support Network. She was recently featured on The Spouse Angle. Please click here to read the write-up by Military Times.

It’s been an unusual year for Community Service. Many members were not allowed to do their usual volunteer work due to Covid-19. But I’m sure many people increased financial contributions in a year that saw such need for food and various services during the pandemic.

Reporting Community Service for GSW, the number of reports received was down quite a bit, but the total value was not that far off from last year. For the year 2020, 135 members reported a total value of over $1,736,374. This compared to the previous year (2019), when 201 reports totaled $1,898,544, a difference of about 162 thousand dollars.

Again this year, urged on by President Flora Kernea, Magnolia Chapter topped the charts, with 26 members reporting monetary and volunteering totals of $488,821! We had MALs in three regions – South Central, Southeast andSouthwest – plus three chapters – Miami Valley, Inland Empire and Phoenix, each far surpassing $100,000!

Thank you, everyone who sent in Community Service reports.  One result of the Covid-19 pandemic seems that more people are expanding their generosity to help those impacted by donating to food shelves and other humanitarian efforts, and some are finding new ways to volunteer. We urge you to keep track of your contributions of cash, goods, volunteer hours and mileage (and blood donations for those who are still young enough), and plan to report them to GSW Community Service next year.

Carol DeVore
Director, Community Service
cldevore@protonmailcom 
320-217-5072, 320-217-1321 ©

In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day (May 7th), Gold Star Wife Patty Stubenhofer sat down with Heather Graf of ABC 7. She shared her family's experience and advice on how the public can offer support. 

A dedication service for the Hershel "Woody" Williams Gold Star Families Monument in Clinton Township, Michigan will be held on June 12, 2021. Please click here to read the coverage by The Macomb Daily. 

Former Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. member, the late Amanda Crow and her late husband, Jeremy Crow, served in the United States Navy. Amanda was an advocate for survivor benefits. Their family has set up a community memorial wall in their honor. Click to read more about Amanda and Jeremy Crow's service here. (Rapid City Journal) 

GSW and Wreaths Across America form Partnership (PRNewswire)

April 5th is Officially Recognized as Gold Star Wives Day (Ripon Advance)

The Gold Star Wives' Arlington Chapter recently joined Partnership that Fights Cybercrime and Supports Military and Veteran Organizations (Business Wire)

Maj. Gen. James Bonner, commanding general of Fort Leonard Wood (MO), issued the following statement in recognition of Gold Star Spouses Day and encourages the public to thank a Gold Star Spouse for his/her bravery and sacrifice. Please click here to read Maj. Gen. Bonner's article.

117TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 110

Designating April 5, 2021, as ‘‘Gold Star Wives Day”

March 15, 2021, Senator Richard Burr (NC) and Senator Joe Manchin (WV)  introduced a nonpartisan Senate Resolution designating  April 5, 2021 as “Gold Star Wives Day”. This resolution passed unanimously on the Senate floor.

“Whereas the Senate honors the sacrifices made by the spouses and families of the fallen members of the Armed Forces of the United States; Whereas Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. represents the spouses and families of the members and veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States who have died on active duty or as a result of a service-connected disability; Whereas the primary mission of Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. is to provide services, support, and friendship to the spouses of the fallen members and veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States…”.

Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. was organized in 1945, formed in New York City (NYC) by Marie Jordan Speer. GSW was originally called WWII Widows, later became federally chartered Gold Star Wives of America, Inc., with Eleanor Roosevelt as an original chartered member. As a result of the NYC Chapter, today there are 33 chapters located throughout the United States.

The organization of Gold Star Wives of America welcomes membership to all who meet the criteria. This organization does not discriminate against any person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. For more information contact www.goldstarwives.org   

Dr. Vivianne Cisneros Wersel
Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. Public Relations
viwersel@yahoo.com

Naperville, IL: Plans are underway and funds are being raised to install a Hershel "Woody" Williams Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in spring 2021.

Please click here to read more about the installation: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/opinion/ct-nvs-decent-column-st-0131-20210130-guw6fr36sjekzahigfvdjb7k4a-story.html

DFAS has a new Survivor SBP Newsletter! Check out the first issue, with lots of news and helpful info for survivors/SBP annuitants. Learn all about the upcoming changes to the SBP-DIC offset, when you’ll get your tax statements, the new School Cert process, our helpful form tools and more! Get it here: https://go.usa.gov/x7eMc

Read all about the phased changes to the SBP-DIC Offset in the article "The Phased Elimination of the SBP-DIC Offset Begins in January of 2021"