The George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Wellness Alliance is a coalition of veteran peer-to-peer networks and best-in-class mental and brain health care providers who connect veterans, service members, their families, caretakers, and survivors to high-quality care for their invisible wounds.
Q&A with Ryan Callahan, a 2022 Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program Scholar and executive vice president of digital innovation at Blue Star Families
What is the Blue Star Families mission and how does that influence your work with veterans and military families?
The Blue Star Families mission is to empower military and veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their neighbors to build strong communities of mutual support. What really stands out to me in that mission is the word thrive. It signals that we’re not just addressing challenges but actively building environments where families can feel connected, valued, and seen.
Our mission directly influences how I work with veterans and military families. I know that challenges like frequent moves, career changes, and social isolation can’t be fixed by just one service or program. They are solved through connection. That’s why I focus on building bridges – linking military families with local groups, veterans with career networks, and communities with the strengths military families offer.
In my work, this means building partnerships on purpose, listening to what families need, and making sure our programs offer more than just resources; we want people to know they belong. When we connect everyday Americans and military families, we reduce isolation and build lasting support. This is how we help families do more than just get by; we help them succeed wherever military life takes them.
When a family gets connected to Blue Star Families, what is the typical process they would go through and the type of resources they would receive?
When a family member joins Blue Star Families (BSF), they gain access to a comprehensive network of programs, resources, and community support designed to strengthen well-being across the military life cycle. Families typically learn about BSF through local chapter engagements; trusted community partnerships; corporate collaborations; BSF’s digital community, The Neighborhood; or word of mouth. One of the first experiences many families have with BSF is through our Blue Star Coffee Connects at their local Starbucks. These meetups offer a welcoming, informal entry point into the BSF community. Through coffee and conversation, families can meet others, share experiences, and begin cultivating meaningful relationships. For many families, Blue Star Coffee Connects serve as a low-barrier introduction to community engagement and a gateway to deeper involvement in BSF programs and local networks.
For families not located near a chapter, The Neighborhood provides a vital and tangible connection point. Through this online platform, members can access virtual programming, peer support, curated resources, and nationwide engagement opportunities regardless of duty station or geographic location. The digital community ensures that thousands of military families remain involved, supported, and informed, even when in-person participation is not feasible.
Through Blue Star Families membership, families are introduced to a wide range of programs focused on belonging, resilience, and practical support, including outdoor recreation (Military Families Outdoors) and nonclinical mental health programs (Blue Star Support Circles).
Funded through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, Blue Star Support Circles deliver structured, nonclinical, peer-based mental health programming through eight-week virtual cohorts. Delivered in partnership with trusted organizations, including the American Red Cross, PsychArmor, Veterans Yoga Project, Spiritune, and TAPS, the program equips veterans, caregivers, and family members with practical tools, education, and community support.
Core curriculum areas of Blue Star Support Circles:
- Suicide prevention and gatekeeper training
- Crisis response planning
- Understanding PTSD and trauma
- Self-care and emotional regulation strategies
- Trauma-informed communication
Blue Star Support Circle Program outcomes demonstrate improved mental health literacy, reduced isolation, increased confidence in recognizing and responding to mental health crises and strengthened pathways to local VA and community-based care. Program evaluation demonstrates strong impact:
- 28% decrease in participants who felt they lacked the knowledge to talk about suicide
- 16% decrease in participants who felt mental health services were inaccessible
- 18.6% increase in participants who felt nothing would prevent them from talking openly about suicide
- 26% of participants were not previously connected to VA services, demonstrating the program’s success in reaching disconnected and at-risk veterans
Through this layered engagement model, families receive proactive, accessible support that strengthens resilience, fosters belonging, and promotes long-term well-being both locally and nationwide.
What is the biggest obstacle your organization faces, and what is your role in bridging that gap?
One of the greatest obstacles military families face is isolation and a lack of belonging, driven by frequent relocations, limited local networks, and a persistent civilian-military divide that reduces understanding, trust, and access to support.
According to the Blue Star Families 2025 Military Family Lifestyle Survey (MFLS), only 53% of military families report feeling a sense of belonging in their local communities. Among those who do not feel connected, just 32% believe their neighbors truly appreciate the sacrifices of military families, and only 16% feel their community is prepared to support them during times of crisis. These findings highlight a significant cultural and social gap that contributes to isolation, stress, and disconnection.
Blue Star Families plays a critical role in bridging this divide by building trusted networks that connect military families with their civilian communities and with one another. Here are some of the ways we do this:
- Creating welcoming entry points through programs such as Starbucks Coffee Connects, outdoor recreation, and family-centered community events.
- Expanding access beyond physical chapters through scalable national programs and virtual engagement.
- Building peer-based trust networks that reduce stigma and foster belonging.
- Equipping civilian partners with military cultural competency, strengthening community readiness to support military families.
By intentionally fostering belonging and connection, Blue Star Families helps transform isolation into resilience, strengthens community ties, and supports the long-term readiness and well-being of military families nationwide.
Can you share a memory that was particularly formative in how you approach your work with military families?
One memory that really shaped me happened recently at the first-ever Blue Star Back Porch Jam in Clarksville, Tennessee. It wasn’t a formal speech or major announcement – it was one of those quiet moments where you suddenly realize just how powerful community can be.
The room was full. Kids were dancing. Military families and civilian neighbors stood side by side, laughing and sharing stories. Donovan Chapman, a Special Operations veteran and Air Force pararescue jumper, brought everyone together the way only a great musician can, making the entire crowd feel like we were gathered in a friend’s living room.
What stayed with me most wasn’t just the music; it was what the night represented. After weeks of winter storms, closed schools, and the stress of being stuck indoors, families finally had a space to exhale. That night, all attendees connected and felt they belonged. It was a reminder that support doesn’t always look like a resource table or a formal program. Sometimes it looks like neighbors showing up, kids dancing freely, and veterans feeling at home in their own community.
That night shaped me by reinforcing why this work matters. Supporting military and veteran families isn’t only about providing services; it’s about intentionally creating space
s where they feel welcomed, understood, and part of something bigger than themselves. I left that evening reminded that the strongest forms of support often happen in simple moments: one conversation, one shared laugh, one song at a time.
As you reflect on the vast and impactful military family community that you have contributed to at Blue Star Families, what gives you hope for the future of veteran and military family communities?
What gives me the most hope is seeing how powerful a true sense of belonging is for military and veteran families.
In our latest Military Family Lifestyle Survey (MFLS), we found that active-duty families who feel connected and supported are far more likely to recommend service, feel satisfied with military life, and trust that the public will stand behind them. That’s incredibly meaningful because it reinforces the work we do every day at Blue Star Families. It tells us that community isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential.
When families feel like they belong, it strengthens their resilience and improves their well-being. And that doesn’t just impact individual households; it directly supports the future of the all-volunteer force.
It also creates a ripple effect. When families recommend service, it affects both recruitment and retention and signals a healthier, more sustainable future for those who choose to serve. Knowing that our work at Blue Star Families helps create that sense of belonging makes me genuinely optimistic about what’s ahead for military and veteran communities.
