WHEREAS, Blue Star Families was founded in 2009 by military spouses to empower military and veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors – both individuals and organizations – to create strong, vibrant communities of mutual support; and

WHEREAS, Blue Star Families annually designates the week beginning the last Saturday in September and concluding nine days thereafter as “Blue Star Welcome Week;” and

WHEREAS, many military families display a Blue Star service flag or banner, representing the origin of the phrase “Blue Star Family,” in the window of their home, signifying that a loved one is an active-duty service member; and

WHEREAS, during this week, we recognize the 600,000 active-duty and transitioning military families who move to new communities each year, with nearly half of these permanent change of station (PCS) moves occurring during the summer; and

WHEREAS, the 2023 Military Family Lifestyle Survey notes that military families “…still report feeling a lack of belonging to their civilian communities – an increasing gap in understanding between military families and their civilian peers that leads to loneliness and social isolation;” and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, the Library of Virginia, and localities are committed to ensuring that military-connected families feel a strong sense of belonging to their local civilian communities; and

WHEREAS, we express gratitude for the sacrifices made by service members, transitioning veterans, and their families and encourage civilians across Virginia to welcome military-connected families into their communities by helping with quality-of-life issues such as affordable housing, food security, child care, spouse employment, and assistance when military service members are deployed;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize September 21-29, 2024, as BLUE STAR WELCOME WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.