Photo: Ashley and Chase Burnett look on as Judy and Ken Osborne receive the 2017 Blue Star Neighbors Award at Blue Star Families’ Celebration.
“Definition of good neighbor: someone to be trusted; a courteous, friendly source of help when help is needed; someone you can count on; someone who cares.” – Edward B. Rust, Jr.
Ashley and Chase Burnett had no clue their lives would change forever when they arrived in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Burnetts were no strangers to PCSing as an Army family, but this time was different. They were moving into their new home when two strangers with big smiles and arms full of food introduced themselves. Judy and Ken Osborne, their neighbors, were the first to welcome them home.
“The day the Burnetts got here–they were unloading their van–and I had told my husband we’d always be a good neighbor to whoever we met here,” said Judy. “We went into the kitchen and made them all lunch, so they didn’t have to worry about where their first meal would come from.”
Since that day, the two families merged into one. Their bond strengthened through casual visits, holiday celebrations, and special occasions – with or without Chase who was gone often with the Army. Because of that, the Osbornes routinely offered to help and especially liked watching the Burnetts’ daughter when Ashley needed a break. Those small gestures made Ken and Judy feel like family to the Burnetts… and they made the Burnetts feel like family to the Osbornes, too.
“…Knowing we had someone straight across the street that would drop anything they were doing to come support us was invaluable,” said Chase.
To say thanks, Ashley and Chase nominated Judy and Ken for the 2017 Blue Star Neighbors Award – and they won! Their prize included an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and tickets to the annual Blue Star Families Celebration. At the event, the Osbornes were recognized publicly for being outstanding Blue Star Neighbors, and the Burnetts were there to watch, too.
Across the country in Colorado, another Blue Star Neighbor stepped up to help a military family in need. Shane Clarke spent years building his martial arts studio. He was renovating when he got to call to mobilize and deploy. After getting the news, Shane feared his business wouldn’t survive his deployment.
“I texted Erik at three in the morning,” recalls Shane. “And I just said, ‘Is there any chance you could come help me?’ I’ll never forget that feeling of dread and loneliness, and it all disappeared when Erik showed up that morning.”
Erik Nelson, a civilian friend and martial arts instructor, offered to keep Shane’s business afloat while he was overseas. He volunteered every night after work for a year as an instructor and provided Christina, Shane’s wife, with administrative support.
For his selflessness, Shane and Christina nominated Erik for the 2018 Blue Star Neighbors Award, and he was recognized a few months later in D.C. His family and the Clarkes were there to celebrate in-person.
The Blue Star Neighbors Award was created by Blue Star Families in 2015 to recognize those who don’t wear a uniform but care and support those who do. They are the neighbors taking time to get to know and build relationships with service members and their families. The ones helping them thrive – not just survive – in the community.
Blue Star Families thought this was an important contribution to acknowledge after the Blue Star Families annual Military Families Lifestyle Survey uncovered a chief concern about community integration: 51 percent of military families indicated they do not feel part of the civilian communities in which they live, even though most families live off-base and want greater opportunities to meet and make friends.
“This is an unacceptable truth in the 21st century,” said Kathy-Roth Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families. “Blue Star Families exists to find solutions to military life challenges, so we created the Blue Star Neighbors Award to help. It’s our way of shining a light on the issue: by sharing real-life stories and simply asking people to step up and be good neighbors. What we’ve found in return, are truly wonderful, terrific people doing just that – like the Osbornes and Clarkes.”
Now, it’s your turn to say thanks. After all, it’s the season of gratitude. Think of a civilian who’s impacted your life in a big way and then nominate them for the 2019 Blue Star Neighbors Award. If they win, you’ll gift them an all-expenses-paid trip to D.C. (and some additional perks that are pretty awesome!), and you’ll get to come along, too.
Nominations are open now through December 31, 2018. Visit bluestarfam.org/bsnaward to learn more.
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About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.
