_______________________________________________________________

Military Families Together’s co-founders, Mike and Shelly Pawelczak, Connie and Amy Watson, and Linda Green, have hearts for helping and give back to the community where they see a need. Their American pride and commitment to giving back resulted in the creation of Military Families Together, Inc. to show their appreciation for United States service members and their families.

Desert Storm Veteran Connie Watson, and her spouse Amy Watson, saw a need in supporting women veterans. They wanted to create a non-profit to help because of the imbalances they see female military service members experience, including a higher likelihood of homelessness after discharge and sexual trauma during their time of service.

In August of 2022 , the Pawelczak's son graduated from Marine boot camp. Traveling from Central Illinois to California for five days was a huge expense. While they wouldn't have missed the occasion, the extreme costs would create serious hardship for many families. They recognized a definite need in this area and decided to find a way to help.

_______________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE BOARD

CONNIE joined the Army in September 1986 and went to war as a Material Control and Accounting Specialist with the 521^st Maintenance Company in Frankfurt, Germany, during Desert Storm on December 24, 1990. She returned to the United States in April 1991 and received an honorable discharge on November 25, 1991. She served for just over 5 years, with just over 3 years of that time in foreign service. Connie received the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Southwest Asia Service Medal with two Bronze Stars for her service.

MIKE spent 30 years with a local utility company where he was a supervisor over the Gas Distribution department. He also owns and operates a thriving construction/home improvement company that he and his business partner started in 1994. To say that he knows the meaning of hard work is an understatement.

SHELLY worked in finance over the years while being the primary caregiver to her and Mike's two children. She helped out with several fundraisers and enjoys helping others. She transitioned to working from home running a Virtual Assistant business as a website designer. Both of their children are now grown and she and Mike are excited to see where the next season of their life together takes them.
  

AMY has over 20 years of nonprofit experience and is a professor in Communication. An experienced event planner and communication director, Amy wants to use her organizational skills to help military veterans and their families. Amy resides in Springfield with her family. She has a Masters degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

LINDA is a retired United States Postal Worker where she worked for 33 years in a variety of management positions in several communities in Central Illinois. Originally from Springfield, Linda now resides in Petersburg, Illinois. Though she is not a veteran, Linda's involvement in MFT stems from her desire to help serve those who served.

Military Families Together, Inc. is a reflection of patriotism and deep appreciation

for the sacrifices made by our United States service members.