By Samantha L. Quigley

American Forces Press Service

June 5, 2008 - In Ohio, a new team is taking a community approach to supporting troops and military families.  "Our mission is to empower communities to support military members and their families through the deployment cycles," said PamelaJune Banks-Anderson, founder of the Ohio-based National Restoration to Military Families Team.

The team, which operates as "National Restoration Team," takes a three-pronged approach to helping servicemembers and their loved ones.

First, the team works to encourage faith- and community-based leaders and organizations to build servicemember- and veteran-friendly communities. It also helps servicemembers with readjustment and reunion issues while remembering the fallen and assisting their families with grief management.

"The threefold effort is ongoing and dynamic," said Banks-Anderson, a veteran of the Gulf War. "We are connecting with community-based organizations like United Way, the American Red Cross, [Department of Veterans Affairs] centers and faith-based organizations to partner with the National Restoration Team to make military members' and their families' transitions as smooth and healthy as possible."

These community connections are made through "Caring 4 Military Family Community Conferences and Workshops," the first of which will be held July 10 in Dayton, Ohio.

National Restoration to Military Families Team is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

"We anticipate National Restoration Team becoming as much a household name as 'America Supports You,'" through ASY networking, visibility and connectivity, Banks-Anderson said.