November 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 47

For the armed services, the resilience of its
service members, their family members,
military units and communities is critical
to mission readiness...
For the second activity, the MWR team leveraged an existing
partnership with a local adventure park to provide spouses with
a trip that featured the thrill of seven ziplines. Unlike " Cocktails
and Canvases, " spouses were encouraged to bring their family
members along. The cost per person was significantly reduced
and was progressive, meaning that spouses of soldiers with a
higher rank paid more than those with lower rank.
The " Cocktails and Canvases " and ziplining activities were
enthusiastically attended by spouses of deployed soldiers and
garnered high customer satisfaction scores for the MWR programs. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 49, and 86 percent
were spouses of service members with an enlisted rank, while
14 percent were spouses of officers.
At the completion of the MWR activities, the resilience score
for the spouses increased by an average of 5.2 points. Furthermore, 88 percent of the spouses agreed they have used recreation to deal with stress, 97 percent agreed the MWR activity
provided them with a way to deal with stress, and 95 percent
agreed the MWR activity made them more confident in their
abilities. On a scale of 0-100, customer satisfaction with the
MWR program increased from 83 to 90.5, indicating that the
services exceeded their expectations.
This research provided the Fort Riley Family and MWR program with many positive outcomes. It provided an opportunity,
using outcomes, to measure and communicate the success of
its MWR programs. Those measurable outcomes helped to bolster budget justification and demonstrate how funding MWR
is translated into health and wellness results. By demonstrating the positive effects of MWR as an essential component of

Photo courtesy of Matt Enoch

were the two key components of any recreation program that
would draw significant interest.
Armed with this knowledge, the MWR team chose an already existing MWR program, called " Cocktails and Canvases, " popular beginner group painting classes paired with the option of drinking wine, for its first activity. For the Blue Star Card
version of the program, the user fee was reduced by half and
childcare was provided with the assistance of MWR's Child
and Youth Services Division. The spouses were then able to
enjoy two hours of instructor-led painting and a drink ticket
was included in the fee.

The MWR team created tailored activities
designed to have positive effects on the
health and wellness of spouses of deployed
military members.

health and wellness, this research influenced the perceptions of
decision makers and may result in an increase in program funding in the future. By using health and active living as a central
platform, MWR can positively affect the health and wellness of
individuals and military communities.
Carol Potter is a Consultant and Former Department of Defense Assistant
Director of MWR Policy (ĐĂƌŽů͘ũ͘ƉŽƩĞƌϯϮϮΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ). Matt Enoch, CPRP, is
the Community Program Coordinator at Fort Riley Family and MWR
(ŵĂƩŚĞǁ͘ŵ͘ĞŶŽĐŚ͘ŶĂĨΛŵĂŝů͘ŵŝů).

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

November 2017 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2017 - Parks & Recreation