CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- When Troy and Melissa Amick joined the Adopt an Airman program as a Host family, they were focused on providing support, but soon discovered their lives would be enriched.
“We joined the program because we wanted to ease the adjustment process for someone else,” states Melissa, recalling their own experience as a young family, new to Cheyenne, and without a support structure in place.
When Troy and Melissa first moved to Cheyenne for work in 2007, not only did they need to adjust to a different culture and climate, but they needed to develop a whole new support system. As parents of a three-year-old with another baby on the way, and with no grandparents nearby to lend a hand or offer a break, they experienced how isolating a move far from home can be.
This past fall when the Amick’s learned about the need for host families in the Adopt an Airman program, they decided to sign up. They wanted to offer an Airman a caring local family and to showcase the great opportunities they have found available in Cheyenne.
Since joining the program, the Amicks now include Airman First Class Devonte Brown in their family traditions of Sunday breakfast and Friday night game night. Last week Devonte joined them in volunteering for Friday Food Bags.
“We thought we were helping someone else, but the relationship has turned out to also have a tremendously positive impact on our family,” Melissa shared. Devonte both inspires and encourages their daughters.
His participation with Sara and Tory in Tae Kwan Do has re-sparked the girls’ interest and commitment to martial arts. Their girls have also gained an increased understanding of and appreciation for those who serve in the military.
The Amick family feels that by hosting an Airman they have gained a family member. Sara summed it up best during a family dinner with Devonte last Friday evening, “I have a big brother now.”
Adopting an Airman doesn’t require an extra day in your week, a large slice of your entertainment budget, or a spare room in your house. Instead, hosting an Airman means including a new Air Force member in what you already enjoy doing. Whether you enjoy a pizza night at home, a hike at Curt Gowdy State Park, or volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, a text to your Airman will fill an empty chair at your table, share the fun of your hobbies, or extend the fulfillment of volunteering in the community.
To hear more stories of how other hosts are including “their Airman” in their family lives, follow the program on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube at Adopt an Airman WYO. For more information or an application, email adoptanairmanwyo@gmail.com