On April 11, 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will kick off a two-day tour celebrating the first anniversary of Joining Forces, their initiative to recognize, honor and serve military families. Since launching Joining Forces on April 12, 2011, significant progress has been made to rally Americans around military families. Communities, businesses, schools, faith groups, nonprofit organizations and individual Americans have made substantial commitments to show military families the support that they deserve. Through collaborative efforts with Joining Forces, these groups have helped thousands of veterans and military families find jobs, improved educational opportunities for military children, supported our nation’s wounded warriors and their caregivers, and honored our nation’s fallen. The Joining Forces two-day tour will highlight examples of organizations and companies that have made significant commitments to support military families.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden created Joining Forces to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and take action to support veterans and military families as they serve our country and throughout their lives. The initiative aims to educate, challenge, and spark action from all sectors of society to ensure veterans and military families have the support they have earned. The initiative focuses on key priority areas – employment, education, and wellness - while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice, and needs of America’s veterans and military families.
In partnership with Joining Forces, Points of Light Institute has committed to mobilizing service leaders across the country to leverage the Community Blueprint, a new tool and initiative, to help local service leaders improve their communities’ support for veterans, service members and their families in the areas of education, employment, mental health, reintegration, and financial and legal services.