RICKOVER FRG Q&A
By Caryn Brissman
The USS HYMAN G. RICKOVER Family Readiness Group (FRG) is an important part of the Rickover community. An all-volunteer organization made up of Sailor spouses, they provide support of all kinds, including activities and events for adults, children and families. Rickover Sailors are deployed for long periods of time, often with no communication. This makes the role of the FRG especially significant.
A goal of the 795 Club is to assist the FRG in every way possible. We recently had the pleasure of learning more about the organization from Rickover FRG President, Josie Mellon.
1) How long have you been a Navy spouse and how long have you been in Groton?
Josie: We are fairly new to the Navy. My husband joined the summer of 2021! He went to sub school in Groton and then received his orders to the USS HYMAN G. RICKOVER. We have been here ever since he finished boot camp in August of 2021. That’s almost 3 years!
2) What made you decide to lead the FRG?
Josie: I was an elementary school teacher for 5 years before we made our move to Groton. I’ve always loved working with and supporting families. This was a way for me to still do that while staying home with my toddler (and soon to be second baby)! I love planning events and helping families in any way I can.
3) As president of the Family Readiness Group, what are your top three goals?
Josie: My main and really only goal is to support families. I believe we make that possible by planning events and being approachable as well. I want families to know that they can come to us with anything they need, no matter how big or small and we will do our best to help out however we can!
4) What are the biggest challenges for a Navy family when the RICKOVER is away?
Josie: I can really only speak for myself but for us it’s finding a new routine without “dada”. For my toddler, she constantly asks if “dada’s on the boat” and if he’s coming home soon. For me, it’s just figuring out the logistics of everything such as who is going to mow the lawn. The biggest challenge though is just missing my husband and the limited communication with him while he is away.
5) Thinking back to prior deployments, how did the FRG help you and your family the most while your spouse was away?
Josie: Since we are new to the Navy, we actually have not seen a true deployment yet! However, during underways, we try to plan a lot of different meet ups. It’s nice to have social time with other wives and families who are in the same situation as us! We have done hiking meet ups, ice cream meet ups, coffee meet ups, etc.
6) How is the FRG most helpful for your spouse when he is home? While on deployment?
Josie: My husband has seen the FRG support spouses who need help when the boat is away. The FRG provides him with peace of mind in knowing that there are people who can help if something difficult arises! When he is home, he also likes to attend the meetings and events.
7) Can you give some examples of how the FRG families work together to support one another during deployments?
Josie: One thing I truly love about our FRG is the community. We have five people on our FRG board and five others who are involved in committees. I feel that, because we have so many people involved, we’re able to have something in common with everyone. I really feel that it allows us to be more welcoming and build a community to include everyone! We try to plan meet ups while the boat is away so that we are gathering spouses together who are all “in the same boat.” It helps having people with whom we can empathize. More examples of ways we’ve helped with in the past are meal trains, finding childcare quickly for a family that needed it and moving furniture for a spouse whose home flooded.
8) What are the most popular activities?
Josie: The most popular activity we’ve had so far was our bowling event! We’ve also had a lot of well attended activities such as our Valentine’s Day tea party and we have a spouse appreciation brunch coming up!
9) How does the FRG fundraise? What is most popular?
Josie: We fundraise through selling merchandise such as sweatshirts, t shirts, magnets, etc. We also do fundraisers through restaurants such as Chipotle & Texas Roadhouse.
10) How can the 795 Club best support the FRG?
Josie: I think the 795 Club has already done a great job supporting the FRG with the gift cards for the kids and sailors! Some future ideas could be providing lunch on the boat that the FRG helps to deliver or some sort of gift for the spouses (for example gift cards to restaurants for when the boat is gone).
