In the vast military community that is Joint Base Lewis-McChord, it is not rare to see accolades and educational benefits and opportunities given to our military servicemen and women, but one educational organization found it necessary to celebrate the sacrifices of one uncommon group ... the military spouses.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), along with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable and secure military families so that they can thrive, created a program to celebrate those spouses who have sacrificed so much. Together they created and host Homefront Celebrations as a way to give back to the underserved military spouse community. Held four times a year, and most recently in Florida, Homefront Celebrations is held in different parts of the country to celebrate local spouses, but that isn't all. Each event not only includes an evening of fellowship, dinner and a special speaker, it also concludes with one lucky spouse being awarded a scholarship to SNHU.

This year, Tacoma was selected to host Homefront Celebrations, held March 16 at the beautiful Hotel Murano in Tacoma. More than 100 spouses gathered and celebrated an elegant night out.

Honored guests represented all branches of the military including local spouses of active-duty, Guard, Reserve and post-9/11 wounded, ill or injured of all ranks. This inclusive event perpetuated the notion that all spouses, regardless of rank and branch, are all serving together, with common histories and hardships.

SNHU is a private, nonprofit institution serving more than 85,000 students worldwide, with over 200 accredited undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs. The main campus is located in Manchester, New Hampshire, but it's the available online programs that are making it possible for students to return to or complete their educational pursuits. Such was the case for this year's Tacoma area university scholarship recipient, Stephanie Endicott.

As a new Navy spouse (married December 2017), Stephanie Endicott was selected as the recipient of the SNHU scholarship at the March 16 event in Tacoma. Her journey started when she received a call in early March from Operation Homefront, letting her know she was selected as the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship from SNHU for any of their online bachelor degree programs. She is thrilled as this scholarship will allow her to continue her education online no matter where military life takes her, something she's wanted to accomplish for some time.

Guest speaker Karin Childress, also a military spouse and a mother and veteran employment storyteller, was the featured speaker. She is the 2017 Wright Patterson Air Force Base Military Spouse of the Year and a top three finalist as a Marine Corps Military Spouse of the Year. Her mission is to educate and inspire by telling the veteran and military spouse story in an impactful and meaningful way. She left the 100-plus guests with words of wisdom from her experiences.

For more information on this program, visit snhu.edu, and Homefront Celebrations.