February is Young Marines Adult Staff Appreciation month

At some point in their young lives, every child who has made the decision to enter the ranks of the Young Marines will have that positive source of energy to see them through recruit training and beyond. You will recall that at some point, an adult reached out to you and made a special effort to assist when you were down or provide words of wisdom when necessary.

You can take great pleasure in knowing that you, as a registered adult volunteer with the Young Marines, have become that source of inspiration and support. Aside from time, you volunteer your experience, plan the activities, provide the ever-so-important oversight, and give hope when others don't see it.

February is Young Marines Adult Staff Appreciation month. This is the time when your Young Marines and their parents thank you for all you do is serving such a valuable role in the lives of their child. And so, on their behalf, I would like to thank you.

But from where I sit, your participation as a volunteer is the heart and soul of the organization. We turn to you for timely registration of your members, for the management of the unit, for your time as volunteers to support or SPACES program, and for taking time off to attend training opportunities. We rely on you to be training experts, auditors and bookkeepers of unit funds. We ask that you maintain a record system on your Young Marines that serves as the source documents for their continued successes as they grow into valuable leaders in your units.

I fully understand your commitment to the youth members of your unit and to the success of the Young Marines program. A simple "thank you" doesn't seem quite adequate, but from me and my staff to you, Thank You for all you have done and continue to do in making our program the best youth program in this wonderful country.

Very respectfully and Semper Fi
Michael Kessler

Download The PDF of the Thank You Letter

Download The Adult Staff Appreciation Information Sheet

Dear Young Marines,

Do you remember that first day of Recruit Training? Do you remember being a little nervous to start this new adventure? What about when you were struggling to get down that last enabling objective for promotion? Who helped you? Who looked over your uniform one last time before your promotion board?

I bet your answer is that one of your adult volunteers at your unit offered their help. Your adult volunteers have probably been some of your biggest supporters in your time as a Young Marine. But when is the last time you stopped to say thank you?

February is Young Marines Adult Staff Appreciation Month and it’s your chance to show your adult volunteers how important they are to you and thank them for all their dedication and hard work. The objective is to show our appreciation. The way you and your fellow Young Marines decide to is entirely up to you. Maybe you can cook them a big spaghetti dinner or have every Young Marine write a thank you note to your volunteers, or just say “thank you”.

Remember, the adult volunteers in our program extend way beyond our Unit Commander and Adjutant. Don’t forget the Registered Adults that help out on encampments or the adults that offer to drive to events. This is the time to sit down and go back through everyone that helped support your unit over the last year. You can do something different for each adult or plan one big thank you surprise.

Our volunteers work endlessly to ensure we have the knowledge and training to be able to succeed. Don’t miss this opportunity to thank them.

YM SgtMaj McCall Behringer
National Young Marine of the Year, 2012-2013


Download The Adult Staff Appreciation Information Sheet

• If you have a Young Marine who is scheduled to attend a SPACES event, look for the email from the Training Department that will give you additional information concerning travel, waivers, etc.

• The revised Registered Adult Manual (RAM) and the Training Officers Manual (TOM) have been posted to the libraries on the website and the database.

• The Young Marines Honorable Discharge and the Young Marines Retirement Certificate have been added to the library. Please see chapter 9 of the RAM for the criteria for these awards.

Thanks,
Dave

Greetings esteemed role models and leaders of Young Marines,

 Well, the ALC is over, followed quickly by Memorial Day.  As the seniors get ready to graduate, everyone else is looking at their summer plans.  I want to take this opportunity to note a couple of things.  One; Project Alert is the curriculum that the Young Marines program is endorsing as the curriculum that is standard across the country.  If you want to know the highlights of the program, check it out at ProjectAlert.com or send me an email at ddr@youngmarines.com and I’ll send you the PowerPoint I presented at the ALC focusing on the programs highlights.  It’s proven to work, it’s interactive, it provides a leadership component where the classes can be taught by senior Young Marines or staff, and you don’t have to be an expert in the field in order to teach it.  It also fulfills all the time requirements mandated for your ddr training.  Following Project Alert will enable us to ensure that we are teaching the same program from Maine to California, from Florida to Washington State for the sake of garnering corporate and congressional support.  Bringing in off duty officers, DEA agents or other professionals from the field will just be icing on the cake.
Two; the winners of the DEA’s Enrique Kiki Camarena Division awards for 2012 go to:
•                  Division 1
Blackstone Valley Young Marines; Milford, Massachusetts

•                  Division 2
Colonel Wesley Fox Young Marines; Sterling, Virginia

•                  Division 3
Orlando Devil Dog Young Marines; Orlando, Florida

•                  Division 4
Mountain View Young Marines; Centennial, Colorado

•                  Division 5
Midwest Central Young Marines; Deer Creek, Illinois

•                  Division 6
Clovis Young Marines; Clovis, California

Remember that the applications for the DEA award contain your unit’s entire ddr footprint for the year…not just what you do during Red Ribbon Week.  I will be creating a template for the library to be used in this year’s application process, but it’s never too soon to start documenting your ddr related activities.

And thank you for all that you do for our program.

Did you know that all forms, documents and manuals can be found by clicking right up thereIn the LIBRARY?

For example:
IRS Letter of Determination for each Unit to use, along with your unit’s charter, as your Not for Profit 501(c)(3) Status.
Re-Registration Power Point can be viewd throughout  the year to familiralize yourself and be prepared for the annual re-registration process.
Insurancy Policy includes the Summary of Coverage, Certificate of Liablity, Special Event Questionair, Group Accident Policy and Injury Report.

This is just a small sample of the information available to you in the library. Please visit the Library often… new items are added all the time!

• Director of Administration: Deneen Hooker  deneen.hooker@youngmarines.com
• Administrative Assistant for Database Management: Judy Jones    judy.jones@youngmarines.com

Here you will find information to assist your unit in its public relations efforts to promote the good work your Young Marines are doing in your community.

Updates

• View the new Young Marines News Network video announcing your Division Young Marines of the Year
• Zach Veach's 2012 racing schedule is now available - View
• Mark your training calendars - Veterans Appreciation Week dates announced - Nov 3-12, 2012
• Coming soon - Professional portfolio development ideas for Young Marines Manual - Public Relations Officer: Tips and guidelines for the Public Relations Officer

Press releases

• Young Marines Youth Organization Wins U.S. Dept. of Defense Award for Anti-Drug Programs
• Young Marines youth organization announces the Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Division Awards program in a new relationship with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for youth drug demand reduction efforts
• Young Marines travel to Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 70th anniversary
• Navajo Nation requests members of the Young Marines to support the memorial ceremonies of Navajo Code Talk Keith Little

Now available for download in the LIBRARY:

~ Great Idea Exchange, Fun activities for your unit
~ Esprit - submission guidelines

Contact us if you need additional guidance, or just want to run some ideas past us on how to effectively promote your Young Marines unit. Questions and suggestions are always welcome.

Contact Janelle Johnsen, our national Director of Public Relations, at:
janelle.johnsen@youngmarines.com

2013 Board of Directors Selection Notification

To all Registered Adult Staff of the Young Marines:
We are pleased to announce that the time has come to put in your application for the 'Member At Large' Board positions. The application process is open to all Registered Adult Staff with at least 3 years as a registered staff member.

The Member At Large positions have replaced the division elected positions and those positions will be filled thru a selection process defined by the Board of Directors Nominating Committee. There will be two positions open this selection cycle. The dead line for submitting your application packet is Jan 31, 2013.

Once the Nomination Committee reviews your application you will be notified if your application has been selected and an interview will be scheduled during the ALC or if your application was not accepted.

Dina Dillon
Nominating Committee Chairman
Young Marine Board of Directors