{"id":551604,"date":"2025-07-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=551604"},"modified":"2025-07-24T19:28:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T19:28:15","slug":"summer-fun-fest-foundation-connects-fort-hood-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=551604","title":{"rendered":"Summer Fun Fest: Foundation connects Fort Hood families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Fort Hood families enjoy games, inflatables, and activities during the Rick Herrema<\/p>\n

Foundation\u2019s Summer Fun Fest July 19, 2025, at Abrams Physical Fitness Center at Fort Hood, Texas. The event focused on<\/p>\n

building community and connection. (U.S. Army photo by Eric Franklin, Fort Hood Public<\/p>\n

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\n Volunteers from Manna Church grill burgers for attendees during the Rick Herrema Foundation\u2019s<\/p>\n

Summer Fun Fest July 19, 2025, at Fort Hood, Texas. All food and activities were provided free of<\/p>\n

charge to military families. (U.S. Army photo by Eric Franklin, Fort Hood Public Affairs)
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\n Children wait in line for snow cones during the Rick Herrema Foundation\u2019s Summer Fun Fest,<\/p>\n

hosted July 19, 2025, outside Abrams Physical Fitness Center at Fort Hood, Texas. (U.S. Army photo<\/p>\n

by Eric Franklin, Fort Hood Public Affairs)
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\n Fort Hood families enjoy games, inflatables, and activities during the Rick Herrema<\/p>\n

Foundation\u2019s Summer Fun Fest July 19, 2025, at Abrams Physical Fitness Center at Fort Hood, Texas. The event focused on<\/p>\n

building community and connection. (U.S. Army photo by Eric Franklin, Fort Hood Public<\/p>\n

Affairs)
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FORT HOOD, Texas \u2014<\/strong> More than 1,300 military families attended the Rick Herrema Foundation\u2019s first Summer Fun Fest on July 19 an event aimed at building connections and providing community support.<\/p>\n

The foundation, established more than a decade ago at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, expanded to Texas to support one of the Army\u2019s largest active-duty populations. The event combined games, music and family-friendly activities with access to trusted providers and organizations focused on resilience, readiness and well-being.<\/p>\n

Greta Buccellato, deputy to the garrison commander, said the event aligned closely with Fort Hood\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvents like this, made possible through partnerships with organizations like the Rick Herrema Foundation, help bridge the gap between our on-post and off-post communities,\u201d she said. \u201cBy coming together for family-centered activities, we strengthen relationships, foster mutual support and build a more connected, resilient Fort Hood.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Eric Ballester, executive director of the foundation and a retired Army veteran with 10 combat deployments, the work is deeply personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cA strong family builds a strong military, which builds a strong nation,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re here to support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ballester said his work with the foundation isn\u2019t just a new chapter \u2014 it is a personal mission rooted in two decades of military experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter serving two decades in uniform, I\u2019ve seen firsthand the stress military life puts on families,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is my service after service, helping make sure no spouse or child is left feeling forgotten or isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many who came out, the event was not just about fun. It was an opportunity to reconnect through a community-focused gathering.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely brings that sense of connection we don\u2019t always get,\u201d said Lashonda Moore, an Army veteran who attended with friends. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see something that focuses not just on the Soldiers, but on the families too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Retired Army veteran Jonathan McMahon, who spent 13 years stationed at Fort Hood, said the event brought the kind of energy and community spirit the installation was once known for.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere used to be a lot more events like this \u2014 free carnivals, festivals \u2014 but then it kind of stopped,\u201d McMahon said. \u201cTo see it coming back now is amazing. Families need this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even the youngest members of the Fort Hood community found ways to give back. Naomi Suzuki, 9, proudly volunteered alongside her mom, serving popcorn and sharing smiles with other families throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt great,\u201d she said. \u201cI never did this before. I got to help people and see them smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rick Herrema Foundation is also constructing a permanent recreation center and park near the post\u2019s main gate. Once completed, it will be available to units, chaplains and the broader community for events and connection.<\/p>\n

Buccellato said the garrison is proud to partner with non-federal organizations that uplift service members and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily-focused community events like Summer Fun Fest help build trust and connection amongst the Central Texas community, Fort Hood and the families we serve,\u201d she expressed. \u201cWhether it\u2019s the high-energy fun of Nerf Wars or the calm of yoga, these shared experiences \u2014 made possible through partners like the Rick Herrema Foundation and our Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation team \u2014 build the kind of bonds that strengthen not just individual relationships, but the entire Fort Hood community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Summer Fun Fest is just one example of how Fort Hood continues to build meaningful connections between the installation and the families who call it home.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Rick Herrema Foundation, visit rhfnow.org\/texas<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Fort Hood families enjoy games, inflatables, and activities during the Rick Herrema Foundation\u2019s Summer Fun Fest July 19, 2025, at Abrams Physical Fitness Center at Fort Hood, Texas. The event focused on building community and connection. (U.S. Army photo by Eric Franklin, Fort Hood Public Affairs) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":528,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-551604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=551604"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":551605,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551604\/revisions\/551605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=551604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=551604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=551604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}