On this episode of Army Wife Talk Radio, we are featuring Armed Forces Insurance Army Spouse of the Year, Yvonne Coombes, cofounder of Operation Deploy Your Dress (ODYD). Happy birthday, Yvonne!

In late December of 2015, five military spouses at Fort Bliss teamed up to host an event that would assist their unit spouses with finding affordable formal wear to help ease some of the financial burden that accompanies going to a military ball. What began as a casual conversation among friends quickly gathered momentum and received national media attention. Consequently, thousands of gowns, shoes, and other formal accessories arrived from all over the country.

It is the mission of ODYD to provide free formal wear donated by the American public to military ID card holders in an effort to boost the attendance at military balls and build camaraderie in military communities.

Volunteer opportunities: Donate formal and semi-formal attire and accessories (shoes, shawls, purses, and jewelry), volunteer to be on the planning committee, be a drop off location or dress/donation collector, volunteer for event day activities (acting as a dressing room attendant, helping recipients choose dresses, re-racking and keeping racks stocked, sitting at the sign-in or sign-out table, and more). Contact Melissa Pederson at (703) 350-5549 or Robin Powers at (317 )432-8885 for more information on how to get involved.

Website links:
ODYD Website
Personal Instagram and ODYD Instagram
Personal Facebook and ODYD Facebook

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