Welcome to Blue Star Families of Richmond, VA2, a chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America. My name is Stephanie Sill and I am the mom of an Army veteran and President of our local chapter in Richmond, VA and surrounding areas. We are a group of mothers and family members of military children who support each other and our kids through a variety of volunteer and social activities.
My oldest son, Josh, joined the Army in 2011 and became an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (aka bomb) technician. I was lost and had no idea how to deal with cutting the apron strings so abruptly. I found this amazing group of military mothers online and joined in 2012. I made many new friends and learned all about how to deal with the life of a military mom. This group of women taught me how to survive the separation from my son and how best to serve my own child by serving other military members, active and veteran. Through this group I am able to proudly show my support for my son’s years of service while also giving back to the men and women who support our Nation’s freedom and flag. A land that I love.
Our group has many opportunities to volunteer and get to know other families of veterans. We partner with some local elementary schools to teach them about military service while collecting items to send in care packages to our deployed and injured military members, Treats for Troops. We attend local events such as remembrance ceremonies at the Virginia War Memorial, memorial runs and festivals to share information about our group. We prepare and serve dinner to our homeless veterans at a local shelter while also collecting items they need at their facility. We have made blankets to share with veterans at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Hospital. We have volunteers from our group that serve at our local VA hospital, Fisher House and the USO at the Richmond airport. Every year we decorate a tree at the Virginia War Memorial with the names of our military children, active-duty and veterans; the aptly named Hero Tree. We support our local Gold Star Mothers chapter who have lost their own children in service to our country. We hold social events such as an annual picnic to commemorate the founding of our chapter and other fun meet and greets to get to know one another better in a casual setting. There is something for everyone here.
I welcome you to contact me or any board member to get more information about our upcoming events or how to join our wonderful group of patriotic moms and families. If you are interested in how you can support or donate to our group, I hope you will reach out to me via the email on our contact page. I look forward to serving our veterans and their loved ones in my role as president.
God Bless America and our military children!
Stephanie Sill
Chapter President, VA2
bluestarrichva@yahoo.com
My oldest son, Josh, joined the Army in 2011 and became an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (aka bomb) technician. I was lost and had no idea how to deal with cutting the apron strings so abruptly. I found this amazing group of military mothers online and joined in 2012. I made many new friends and learned all about how to deal with the life of a military mom. This group of women taught me how to survive the separation from my son and how best to serve my own child by serving other military members, active and veteran. Through this group I am able to proudly show my support for my son’s years of service while also giving back to the men and women who support our Nation’s freedom and flag. A land that I love.
Our group has many opportunities to volunteer and get to know other families of veterans. We partner with some local elementary schools to teach them about military service while collecting items to send in care packages to our deployed and injured military members, Treats for Troops. We attend local events such as remembrance ceremonies at the Virginia War Memorial, memorial runs and festivals to share information about our group. We prepare and serve dinner to our homeless veterans at a local shelter while also collecting items they need at their facility. We have made blankets to share with veterans at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Hospital. We have volunteers from our group that serve at our local VA hospital, Fisher House and the USO at the Richmond airport. Every year we decorate a tree at the Virginia War Memorial with the names of our military children, active-duty and veterans; the aptly named Hero Tree. We support our local Gold Star Mothers chapter who have lost their own children in service to our country. We hold social events such as an annual picnic to commemorate the founding of our chapter and other fun meet and greets to get to know one another better in a casual setting. There is something for everyone here.
I welcome you to contact me or any board member to get more information about our upcoming events or how to join our wonderful group of patriotic moms and families. If you are interested in how you can support or donate to our group, I hope you will reach out to me via the email on our contact page. I look forward to serving our veterans and their loved ones in my role as president.
God Bless America and our military children!
Stephanie Sill
Chapter President, VA2
bluestarrichva@yahoo.com