WHEREAS, Blue Star Families was founded in 2009 by military family members to empower military and veteran families to thrive by connecting them with civilian neighbors and organizations and building strong communities of support; and

WHEREAS, Blue Star Families’ annual Blue Star Welcome Week, held September 26 through October 4 in 2026, recognizes the more than 600,000 military families who move to new communities each year and promotes connections between military families and their civilian neighbors; and

WHEREAS, according to the 2025 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, only 46 percent of active-duty family respondents who had moved within the previous 12 months reported feeling a sense of belonging to their local community, compared with 54 percent of those who had not moved during that period; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia and its communities are committed to helping military-connected families build strong connections and a sense of belonging in their communities; and

WHEREAS, we recognize the sacrifices of service members, veterans, and their families and encourage Virginians to welcome military-connected families and support their quality of life through community connections and assistance with housing, food security, child care, employment, and other needs;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Abigail D. Spanberger, Governor, do hereby recognize September 26 through October 4, 2026, as BLUE STAR WELCOME WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.