JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
The Community Resilience Working Group, a subcommittee of the Commander’s Ready & Resilient Council, kicked off Social Wellness Month by hosting a proclamation signing ceremony and social line dance July 1 at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Military & Family Readiness Center.
Attending the event were JBSA service members, civilians and leaders. Signing the proclamation and giving remarks were Maj. Gen. Robert Whittle Jr., U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) deputy commanding general; Rear Adm. Cynthia Kuehner, Naval Medical Forces Support Command commander; and Brian Hoffman, 502nd Air Base Wing vice director. Col. Shane Cuellar, 502nd Force Support Group commander and Community Resilience Working Group chair, also gave remarks at the ceremony.
Social Wellness Month focuses on the relationships people have and how they interact with others. This includes building healthy, nurturing and supportive relationships and establishing a genuine connection with people around them. It reminds people that relationships can offer support during difficult times and to take time during this month to evaluate their relationships.
This is the first year JBSA is observing Social Wellness Month, said Darlene Taylor, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston M&FRC supervisory community readiness consultant. Taylor said JBSA is observing the month as a way to promote awareness of mental health and social wellness services at the installation, especially since many JBSA members are not aware of the services available to them according to a survey done earlier this year.
Taylor said a social line dance was conducted in which service members, military family members and civilians were able to participate, adhering to COVID-19 protocols in which participants were spread out.
The Patch/Chaffee Youth Programs DJ Club at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston provided the music for the dance.
“We had a great time,” Taylor said. “Our biggest hope is that this opens the door as we’re coming out of COVID. We’re all starting to venture out again and people use this month going forward as a time to be social and reconnect with one another.”
Activities for Social Wellness Month include three scavenger hunts at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston scheduled for July 8, 15 and 22. Teams will look for items in locations throughout JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and discover resources that promote social wellness along the way.
Teams participating in the scavenger hunts will post photos on Instagram with their team’s hashtag and #jbsagetsocial to show completion. Teams with the most points per week and the most points overall will be recognized at a ceremony July 29, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston M&FRC auditorium, 3060 Stanley Road, building 2797. Teams can register for the scavenger hunts through July 5 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/jbsa-scavenger-hunt.