Spouses from Albany’s Marine Corps Logistics Base connect with community

ALBANY – Teri McMahon said it can be difficult moving to Albany for the first time as a military family.

She said Albany’s Marine Corps Logistics Base is unique in its small size and that the civilian population on base outnumbers the active-duty population.

“When you go to larger bases, you feel like you have a built-in family there already because you are around so many people that understand military lifestyle,” McMahon said.

However, the Marine spouse said there’s a large community of retired military and people who are connected to MCLB-Albany in different ways. She said she wanted a way to connect these people and expand that connection to the Albany community, so she became president of the Military Community Club of Albany.

The club is a philanthropic organization that raises money for active-duty and retired dependents, as well as different organizations or businesses throughout the community. It also serves as a connector for military families to find community at their new duty station.

The club is traditionally named the Military Spouse’s Club across different bases. However, Albany’s group voted to rename its club to reflect that it’s open to more than just spouses. Membership is open to active-duty members or spouses, civilian employees at MCLB-Albany, dependent adults, Department of Defense contractors, gold star spouses, reserve or retired members and spouses.

Andra Reventlow, a Marine spouse, said MCLB-Albany’s club might be the only one with this new name. She said she shared McMahon’s experience upon moving to Albany.

“We didn’t know a soul, and it was hard to navigate,” she said.

Reventlow said Albany’s base typically has a lot of younger families at their first duty station, and building community through the club helps them connect to resources.

Each year, the club holds various events for both the military community and the greater Albany community. One of the annual events is an auction open to the public, which helps the organization raise money for its philanthropy. In April, the auction raised $17,000 to fund multiple charitable donations.

Two thousand dollars went to Helping Mamas, a nonprofit that distributes diapers and other baby needs, and $1,500 went to a Lee County school to help students buy school uniforms. The group also supports on-base organizations like the Marine Corps Ball Committee, which it helped buy a new grill. In the past, the club has provided holiday meals for Marines unable to travel home.

Reventlow said the club supports community organizations to let people know the MCLB-Albany community cares about the place its personnel lives.

“We want to give back to the community that we’re a part of, whether it be for two or three years – however long we’re here,” she said. “We want to give back to the community that we live in.”

The Military Community Club of Albany was able to reach even more local businesses and organizations through a unique partnership with Albany’s Chamber of Commerce. The club has become an active part of the chamber’s Military Affairs Committee, which serves to support Albany’s military communities and their contributions to Georgia’s economy. Reventlow and Barbara Rivera-Holmes, the chamber’s president and CEO, represented Albany in a national pilot program for military spouses organized by the Association of Defense Communities.

McMahon said the partnership has allowed the military community to learn about more businesses and opportunities within their community.

“It’s been great being able to support the businesses that support the city because in turn the city and the base do a lot of stuff together,” she said. “So it’s great to just be able to continue that circle where everybody kind of helps everybody.”

Reventlow said she’s been able to meet many more people throughout the community.

“It kind of reminds both sides (military and the Albany community) that the other exists and the importance of each to the other,” she said.

The club just held its first meeting with its new board. McMahon said they have their entire year planned out, including several public fundraisers. In October, they’ll host flocking, where people can pay to have flamingos put in a person’s or businesses’ yard. The money will go to the charitable distributions fund. They also plan to host “dinners out” with local restaurants Decanter, Chipotle, Mellow Mushroom and Sonny’s BBQ. Part of the proceeds that night will go to the club fund.

McMahon said she’s been a part of a lot of spouse’s clubs, but Albany’s really stands out.

“It’s smaller, but that allows you to make different types of connections with people,” she said. “It’s nice to be somewhere that, like with the chamber partnerships, people appreciate what you’re doing for the surrounding community.”

In fact, McMahon said the Military Community Club of Albany has even made some people aware that Albany has the MCLB. She said it’s been amazing to get that information out.

Reventlow said she feels a sense of accomplishment in doing something that hasn’t been done in Albany before.

“But it’s not done yet,” she said. “There’s a sense of pride … that we’re working to better the club and the community to make people feel more welcome when they get here.”

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