January 2016

Connections
Uniting Military MWR/Service Professionals Worldwide for 40 Years!
V O L U M E
J A N U A R Y
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2 0 1 6
Exciting Opportunities for the New Year!
I
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Coast Guard
MWR Program
of the Year
2
ServSafe: Protect Customers
in Self-Service
Areas
3
Coast Guard
Hosts Toy
Distribution
4
Coast Guard
Conducts MWR
Directors’
Training
5
Catersource
6
FYI
7
we hope to bring you
many new opportunities
t’s the New Year and
IMCEA has some
exciting things on
the horizon! We
are very pleased
to announce that
we are once
again partnering with
Catersource® to bring
our members discounted
registration.
to connect with peers
and industry
professionals. Fill out
your application for
Catersource®
on page 6.
What types of
events and
training would
you be
interested in
You won’t want to miss attending this year? Let
us know and
this exciting, live event
we will work
full of the latest
on bringing
products, training and
you the
networking
resources
opportunities!
that you
As restrictions begin to
want; the
lift and more training
funds become available, most current
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
1
and beneficial to help
you support those who
serve. Be sure to
check our website
and Facebook page
for continued
updates.
Cheers to 2016!
Melissa Wells
IMCEA Director
Marketing and
Communications
(940) 463-5145
PAGE
2
Coast Guard 2015 MWR Program of the Year Award
By Robert Davis, MWR Specialist, Coast Guard
IMCEA Corporate
Sponsors:
Gold
to recruit a New
IMCEA Member!
Join the network!
T
he Coast Guard recently selected
third places for this annual Service-wide
winners for
award. In turn, the
its annual MWR
winning MWR Programs
Program of the
benefit by receiving
Year award. The
additional funding and
award is
being recognized as
designed to
leaders in leveraging their
recognize
MWR programs to
outstanding
support Coast Guard
MWR accomfamilies.
plishments of
Left to Right: Shane Robbins, Miriam Lopez, FSC Charles
(Tre) Coleman, Megan Donahoe, Blair W. Markham Direcvarying size
This year’s winners
tor of MWR, LT Matthew Hardgrove, LT David Blue, Juan
units, both afloat Sosa, and AMTCM Steven Payne.
are:
and ashore. The
award winner in each category receives
Large Unit Ashore:
plaque recognition and $1,000 for their
First Place: Air Station Borinquen, PR
morale fund. The award runner-up in each Second Place: Base Portsmouth, VA
category receives plaque recognition and
Third Place: Training Center Cape May, NJ
Medium Unit Ashore:
$750 for their morale fund. The third place
First Place: Base New Orleans, LA
receives plaque recognition and $500 for
Second Place: Air Station Miami, FL
their morale fund. This year, the Coast
Third Place: Air Station Atlantic City,
Guard Foundation provided a gift of an
NJ
additional $9,000 to the award winners in the
Small Unit Ashore:
first and second place categories. This is a
First Place: Civil Engineering Unit,
rewarding way to highlight the importance of Providence, RI
the MWR program in contributing to the
Second Place: Sector San Diego, CA
readiness, retention, and resiliency of Coast Third Place: Station New London, CT
Guard members and their families.
Large Unit Afloat:
First Place: CGC ELM
The MWR Program of the Year
Second Place: CGC KUKUI
includes six categories based on
Third Place: CGC EAGLE
various sizes of MWR programs. The six
Medium Unit Afloat:
classes are Large, Medium, and Small
First Place: CGC PAUL CLARK
Ashore, and Large, Medium, and Small
Second Place: CGC MARGARET
Afloat. Each size category is judged on eight
NORVELL
program elements: Programming,
Third Place: CGC CHARLES SEXTON
Customer Service, Marketing Methods,
Small Unit Afloat:
Leadership and Professional Development, First Place: CGC SEA HORSE
Financial Management, Facilities/Equipment Second Place: CGC FINBACK
Third Place: CGC TYBEE
Improvement Initiatives, Recognition, and
any other Additional Reports. By rating the
MWR accomplishments in each element, a Photo by Mr. Tomas Adames.
committee determined first, second, and
CONNECTIONS
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
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(940) 463-5145
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
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(940) 463-5145
Coast Guard Hosts Toy Distribution With BGCA And TIF
W
hile the weather outside wasn’t frightful,
unless you consider sunny and 82 frightful,
the holidays came a little early to the youth at Coast
Guard Air Station Borinquen. On Friday, November
20, 2015, the
command’s
youth center,
affiliated with
the Boys and
Girls Club of
America
(BGCA),
partnered with
the Toy Industry
Foundation (TIF)
and hosted a toy
distribution event
for military
children.
Shane Robbins,
Youth Director, said, “The toys this year, surpass
those of previous years,” as over 120 children of
active duty military members from the Coast Guard
Air Station and nearby Fort Buchanan, enjoyed
receiving toys through this event co-hosted by the
BGCA and Toy Industry Foundation.
Blair Markham, MWR Director at the command,
also included an educational theme this year by
including the local Puerto Rico national resource
personnel to participate and provide information on
Puerto Rico’s endangered species, along with
providing some unique animals for the children to
learn about. The local DODEA school also brought
a display of turtle shells, eggs, and described how
the native turtles share many of the same beaches
that surround the local area.
Captain Patricia McFetridge, Commanding Officer,
Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, launched the
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
event with opening comments thanking the BGCA
and the TIF for their continued support to Coast
Guard families. Elizabeth Max, program manager
for TIF, previously commented that, “It’s our
industry’s duty to keep these families in our thoughts
and give back to those who fight for our freedom.”
According to Markham, the event was a resounding
success. He overheard one child, while running to
select a toy say gleefully, “This is exactly what I put
on my Christmas wish list to Santa!” So while the
weather wasn’t frightful and didn’t seem like
December, the efforts of this Coast Guard command,
through its partnership with the BGCA and Toy
Industry
Foundation,
made the
season feel
like the
holidays to
military
families. And
while the
temperatures
were in the
80s, the
efforts of all
helped
contribute to
the resiliency
of the Coast
Guard family, particularly its youth.
Photo credits: BGCA Photo Rachel Tanner
The first photo is Ms. Gabriela Sermini, spouse of AMT2
Andres Sermini with son, Benjamin, and with the daughter of AET1 Orland Posada, Camila.
The second photo is Poppy Bednorz with son Gavin,
spouse of ASTC Eric Bednorz.
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(940) 463-5145
Coast Guard Conducts MWR Directors’ Training
D
uring the period of 7-11
December 2015, the Coast
Guard Community Services
Command held
its third
convening of the
Resident MWR
Directors’ course
at the Coast
Guard Training
Center in Yorktown, VA.
This week-long
resident course
of instruction is
targeted at
newly assigned
full-time MWR
professionals
throughout the
Service,
although other fulltime MWR staff
throughout the Coast Guard were
also invited to attend. Several of
the newly assigned MWR
Directors had extensive
experience in MWR management
with the other Services. This
course was not only a good
refresher, but also provided this
seasoned staff with an introduction
to Coast Guard MWR and allowed
them to establish professional
contacts with others. The course
is designed to provide a field of
study in key MWR-related
disciplines, including Financial
Management, Field Oversight
Responsibility, Personnel
Management, Program
Management, Program
Administration, Marketing, and
Awards and Recognition.
The instructors for this course
Command followed and detailed
the relationships that field
managed MWR programs have
with the Coast Guard
Exchange System.
The Resident MWR
Directors’ Course is
one of two courses
designed by the
Coast Guard to assist
MWR personnel in
performing their
assigned MWR
responsibilities. The
other course is online
training geared to the
collateral duty MWR
Officers at smaller
field commands.
Photo: Left to Right,
Ron Ray, Financial Analyst, CSC;
were the MWR staff in the
Steven Gauthier, MWR Director, Base
Community Services Command
Cape Cod; CWO Brian Marshall,
augmented by other subject matter
MWR Director, TRACEN Yorktown;
experts from the Coast Guard’s
Gary Scheer, MWR Director, CSC;
NAF Center of Excellence,
CWO Antonio Manalus, MWR Direcincluding the staff attorney and
tor, Base Boston; Neil Morgan, MWR
Director, Base Honolulu; Ryan Guffey,
experts in the field of personnel
Recreational Specialist, Sector New
management, loss prevention,
York; Bob Davis, MWR Specialist,
procurement, and property
CSC; CWO Mark Durning, Program
management.
Analyst, CSC; CWO Ed Csech, MWR
Rear Admiral William G. Kelly,
Director, Base Ketchikan; CWO Ray
Commander of the Coast Guard
Eakes, Financial Analyst, CSC; LT
Personnel Center kicked of the
Mechelle Ball, Assistant Comptroller,
training via VTC and discussed the TRACEN Yorktown; CAPT Robert
Whitehouse, Commanding Officer,
importance of MWR to the
readiness, retention, and resiliency CSC; Lisa Jefferies, Business Manager, TRACEN Petaluma; Melissa Conof the Coast Guard family.
lon, Financial Manager, Base Cape
Captain, Robert L. Whitehouse,
Cod; Mike Mendoza, MWR Director,
Commanding Officer of the Coast TRACEN Petaluma.
Guard Community Services
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
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(940) 463-5145
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
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(940) 463-5145

Commander Navy Installations
Command (CNIC) N9
Newsletter is now available.
Check out this wealth of
information here.
Join the IMCEA
Virtual Tradeshow - now open!
Register here to start connecting with
current industry trends and training!
T
Program Updates
Military Community and Family Policy Weekly
eNewsletter: http://www.militaryonesource.mil/
mcfp/weekly
Joint Family Support Assistance Program
(JFSAP) Newsletter: http://
www.militaryonesource.mil/jfsap/enewsletter
American Logistics Association Weekly
Executive briefing: http://multibriefs.com/briefs/
alaorg/index.php
he Joint Services Prime
Vendor Program offers up to
date information along with Food
and beverage tips, trends and
insights on their Food for Thought
blog. Check it out here for more
information!
Is your Certified Military Community
Executive (CMCE) Certification up for
Renewal?
IMCEA and the National Restaurant Association
have partnered to provide IMCEA members with
®
O
ne amazing benefit of your
membership with IMCEA is the
ability to become CMCE Certified. The
only military Morale, Welfare, and
Recreation (MWR) certification program that is
nationally registered by the National Certification
Commission. As with any certification, you have to
re-certify every three years. Recertification is easy!
All you have to do is fill out the form on our
website https://imcea.org/wp-content/
uploads/2012/04/cmcerecognition1.pdf and send it
in to us. The cost for re-certification is $50.
You do not want to let this prestigious
certification lapse! For questions about CMCE
certification, or your CMCE status, please email
[email protected].
®
ServSafe Food Safety and ServSafe Alcohol
online training and certification at a special discounted
price.
The ServSafe food safety and ServSafe Alcohol online
courses allow you to take training on your own
schedule and spend less time away from the operation,
at a lower overall training cost. Click here for more
info.
IMCEA, 14080 Nacogdoches Road #329, San Antonio, Texas 78247-1944
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(940) 463-5145