934th Airman, Family Readiness best in AFRC

  • Published
  • By Capt. S.J. Brown
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Minneapolis, St. Paul --  The Airman and Family Readiness Office here was announced as the Air Force Reserve Command's Airman and Family Readiness Office (small base, Category II) of the Year for 2008 in a statement released Jan. 30 by AFRC.
"It's an honor to be chosen for this award," said Vicki Lokken, the office's director since 2006. "Our team works hard and has done a tremendous job supporting the Airmen and families of this base. They deserve the recognition." 

The 14-year old office's team may have only one full-time civil servant, three traditional Reservists and a part-time student hire on payroll, but the services the team provides seem like those one would find at a large, active duty base. Two of the more popular programs offered are free income tax preparation and financial counseling.
"In this economically challenging time, these programs are becoming even more sought after," said Lokken, a trained and experienced financial counselor who provides this service to 934th personnel, as well as Navy, Marines and Air National Guard members. 

"We work with the base Retiree Activities Office and two AARP tax preparers from January through April to prepare and e-file tax returns free for military, retirees, civil service and reservists of any service."
These programs are vital to people, especially now, because many times money problems overwhelm people and they lose hope, according to Lokken. So, she and her team help people prioritize, budget and deal with creditors. She said it is one of the prime services the Air Force directs the centers to perform.
The office staff of five directly (one-on-one) served more than 350 personnel last year and many more through briefings, classes, outreach and seminars. But they could not accomplish this feat without the generous support of volunteers. 

"Our prime volunteer is Darryl Graves, a retired Air Force master sergeant, who volunteers about 20 hours a week," said Lokken. "He has been doing this for more than 11 years and is continuity for this office. Two other key volunteers are Carrie Moreno and Teri Schweiger. Carrie handles e-mail services that offer spouses a first-hand connection to the base. Teri started out as an intern through the University of Minnesota and continued to volunteer regularly after graduation."
Without the support of staff members and volunteers, Lokken is skeptical that the office would be the benchmark it is for Air Force programs. Recently, the office was hailed as a leader in the Readiness Program with particular emphasis on the reintegration process.
"The far-thinking of the pro-active units, especially the 934th Aeromedical Staging Squadron and base chaplains, made us a spotlight organization in AFRC," added Lokken. "We were even highlighted in an issue of Citizen Airman magazine."
Pro-active and innovative are two words that describe the team's efforts. The team not only improved upon programs already being offered to military members (for example, morale calls/Hearts Apart and relocation guidance), they have implemented new programs to benefit Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and family members - programs like Bundles for Babies, employment counseling and transition assistance. 

"I am a Prevention Relationship Enhancement Program-certified instructor who is authorized to provide education, general information and referral services on relationship issues," said Lokken, who brings more than 16 years of experience in the social service career field to the table. "This benefit is not always available on every base on a full-time basis, so I am glad to be able to provide that benefit here." 

"We are so honored to have such an award-winning team here," said Col. Tim Tarchick, 934th Airlift Wing commander. "Our Airman and Family Readiness team works hard to support the base and they deserve the recognition this award brings. We thank them for all of their efforts."