Hats off to Mike Kloiber and his wife Pam, who organized the Home Away from Home for airmen at Tinker Air Force Base!
Excerpts from MWC eatery to raise funds for Tinker support program
Mike and Pam Kloiber, who are longtime local community leaders and TAFB supporters, have been instrumental in getting the Home Away From Home project going strong. Pam owns a small boutique in south Oklahoma City and is the military liaison for the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, while Mike is president and CEO of Tinker Federal Credit Union.
Pam Kloiber says Home Away From Home all started just over a year ago when she and her husband were attending a 552nd Air Control Wing awards banquet. Talk of sequestration and furloughs could be heard at the table, which included 552nd ACW commander Col. Greg Guillot.
The next thing she knew, Col. Guillot mentioned a program of sponsor families being matched up with a young cadet.
Kloiber told Col. Guillot, “Well, let’s do it.”
He replied, “Well it’s not that easy.”
She quipped back, “Yes it is. You take care of the military side and I’ll take care of the community side.”
Six months later, Lt. Col. Vernon Conaway, deputy commander for the 552nd Operations Group, was overseeing the program from the military side and its first participants with the help of the Kloibers and a host of other supporters.
Today, the program has some 44 Airmen and 29 host families. To qualify, the Airmen must have just completed basic training and on their first assignment, live in the dorms on base and be between age 18 and their early 20s, Kloiber said.
It has been adopted from other similar programs so no one had to “reinvent the wheel,” Kloiber said.
“People may wonder why it is so important to support our youngest Airmen,” Conaway said. “These are 18 to 25 years olds. They are not your typical young people; they have incredible responsibility. They live a very frugal life.”
For many the frugal life means no vehicle so leaving TAFB is challenging and that is where Home Away From Home steps in.
Kloiber said they’re one of their adopted Airmen attends church with them every Sunday while another attends local sporting events.
As for the Warfel family, they helped one of their Airmen when she totaled her car in an accident and needed a new one. “Her parents are across the country so I was happy to help her through that stressful situation.”
Home Away From Home has an application that Airmen must complete to participate. As for host families, for more information contact Colonel Conaway at 734-2944 or e-mail vernon.conaway@us.af.mil; or Kloiber at 503-5041 or pamkloiber@aol.com.
Plans are in the works to expand the program to the Navy. Kloiber said there is an interest in local retired Seaman to adopt fellow Seaman so once that is in place, Home Away From Home will be able to say that they cover the entire base.
http://eastword.net/PrintArticle.aspx?aid=4800&uid=32ee1ea0-323f-4bbc-a48c-a065d39ec48c
Ret. 4-6-15
Read the 2013 article about the start of the program below.
Home / 2013-09 Sept. 27 – Oct. 03 vol.71_Iss.38 / Tinker program offers Airmen ‘Home Away from Home’
Tinker program offers Airmen ‘Home Away from Home’
Military and community members pose for a group photograph during a picnic Sept. 15 on base near the golf course. The picnic was designed to introduce military members with community leaders for potential involvement in the “Home Away from Home” program. (Air Force photo by Darren D. Heusel)
A new program at Tinker Air Force Base now offers young Airmen a safe haven to relax, have fun and unwind from the daily rigors of life on an active Air Force base.
The “Home Away from Home” program, modeled after the Air Force Academy’s Cadet Sponsor Program, is designed to provide Airmen an avenue to form friendships and gather support beyond the formal work environment.
Born out of tragedy, the program also offers select community leaders a unique and rewarding opportunity to provide Airmen a home-away-from-home during their first enlistment in the military.
Likened to “Big Brothers, Big Sisters,” the program also provides community leaders with an opportunity to support Tinker AFB and meet first-hand the air and space leaders of tomorrow.
Airman Zachary Conley, a member of the 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron, speaks to Wendell Edwards, a reporter with KOCO TV-5 in Oklahoma City, for the station’s “Salute to Service Tour” that will air live at 5 and 6 p.m. on Oct. 2 from Midwest City’s Charles J. Johnson Central Park at Town Center Plaza. (Air Force photo by Darren D. Heusel)
Airman Zachary Conley, an air surveillance technician with the 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron, is one of the charter members from Tinker. He said he learned about the program through his supervisor.
“My supervisor told me it was probably a program where I would get a Thanksgiving dinner or something,” Airman Conley said. “So, I told him to sign me up for it.”
Since then, Airman Conley has learned that the program is much more involved.
“I really enjoy the program,” he said. “It allows me to get out of my dorm room and go to a place where I can just relax.”
Airman Conley is matched with community leaders, Mike and Pam Kloiber. Pam owns a small boutique in south Oklahoma City and is the military liaison for the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, while Mike is President and CEO of Tinker Federal Credit Union.
“I just love the Kloibers,” Airman Conley said. “They have treated me very well.”
Since the program’s inception, Airman Conley and the Kloibers have spent a great deal of quality time together, watching TV, playing pool and attending an occasional football game.
“I really enjoy going to the OU games with them,” said Airman Conley, who hails from Castle Rock, Colo, about an hour south of Denver. “And, I am very thankful for them making sure that I am very well fed.”
The Kloibers, who have been married nearly 39 years and have been a true friend to Tinker for some time, said the feeling is definitely mutual.
“It’s a lot more tugging at your heart strings than what I would have imagined,” Pam said. “We’ve really gotten attached to Zach. We have this precious young man and now he’s like an extended member of our family.”
Both Mike and Pam also said being a part of the Home Away from Home program is a great opportunity to give back to the young Airmen, who give so much in defense of the country.
“These young people are terrific for what they do in serving our country,” Mike said.
The Kloibers said being involved in the program is also “a great blessing.”
“We don’t get anything in return, other than the excitement and pride of being involved,” Pam said. “It’s very fulfilling.”
The Kloibers also said they believe the program can make a difference in the young Airmen’s lives.
On Christmas night in 2011, two young Airmen with the 552nd Air Control Wing were killed in an automobile accident. So, while having lunch with former 552nd ACW commander, Col. Greg Guillot, Pam asked the question, “Is there something more we can do?”
At that time, Colonel Guillot said he would like to have a sponsor program similar to what he had at the AFA. So, Pam simply said, “Let’s do it!”
The program currently has 17 “matches” to date.
Pam said current 552nd ACW commander, Col. Jay Bickley, would like to keep the program small.
However, she said her goal is to have 30 matches by the end of the year.
However, she said her goal is to have 30 matches by the end of the year.
The program originated in the 552nd ACW, but has been expanded to include Airmen from all of Team Tinker.
Managing the program for the base is Lt. Col. Vernon Conaway, deputy commander for the 552nd Operations Group.
“Overall, this is a truly revolutionary program with critical resiliency implications,” Colonel Conaway said. “Airmen are already being positively impacted and I anticipate explosive growth in the future.”
Pam said she believes the Home Away from Home program is the first of its kind in the Air Force, while Colonel Conaway said he expects the program to be successfully shared with installations across the Air Force.
“I am truly proud of the support of our local civilian community, which has been the key enabler to the success of the program,” Colonel Conaway said.
As a host family, community members provide a home-away-from-home during an Airman’s first years at Tinker AFB. They serve as the Airmen’s mentor, friend and advisor, providing a caring environment to relax away from the pressures of work and future deployments.
Host families are also in the position to serve as a positive adult role model, helping Airmen understand their role as a career Air Force Airman and reinforcing positive social values.
The Home Away from Home program attempts to match host families with Airmen who share the same basic characteristics and the official relationship lasts for the duration of the time the Airman resides in the Tinker AFB dormitories.
“Our community loves our Air Force,” Pam said. “So, I told Colonel Guillot that if he would get the Airmen, I would get the community leaders to volunteer for the program.
“These Airmen are preserving our freedoms, so this is an opportunity for us to give back. It’s very exciting and fulfilling.”
Colonel Conaway said feedback he’s received since the initial pairing has been nothing short of phenomenal.
“All parties are extremely happy and strong relationships are already forming despite the short amount of time the individuals have known each other,” he said. “As the word spreads, more and more Airmen are becoming more interested in the program and volunteerism is on the rise.
“Due to the success of the initial group, we have agreed to expand the pool of Airmen to include all of Team Tinker,” he said.
For more information about the Home Away from Home program, contact Colonel Conaway at 734-2944 or e-mail vernon.conaway@us.af.mil; or Pam Kloiber at 503-5041 orpamkloiber@aol.com.
(Written by Darren D. Heusel, Tinker Public Affairs)
http://journalrecord.com/tinkertakeoff/2013/09/26/tinker-program-offers-airmen-home-away-from-home/
Ret. 4-6-15
Since this article was published, contact information and leaders may have changed.
Alternate email: Pam Kloiber" pam@tinkerhafh.org.
Alternate email: Pam Kloiber" pam@tinkerhafh.org.
Major
Richard B. Layman, USAF
Team
Tinker Home Away From Home
Co-Executive
Director/President/Military Liaison
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