Shur-Kleen Car Wash Chief Operating Officer Liberty Ryder was simply looking for a way for her company to get more involved in the Lakewood community.

So Ryder decided to enroll Shur-Kleen in the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce's military connector program, which pairs a local business with a unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

But the program has done more than just provide an avenue for community service for Ryder and her employees. It's also given them a glimpse of what life as a military spouse is like.

"It's been really interesting," Ryder said.

After being paired with the 2-1 Cavalry, Ryder and her employees have worked with the unit's family readiness group to host barbecues, assemble care packages and take an active role in the lives of those who are attached to the unit.

"I get the unit's monthly newsletter and it gives me some ideas of what we can do (for the soldiers and families)," she said.

Those support events have included throwing a barbecue for the soldiers and their families before the unit deployed last August, sending baby gifts to each spouse that gave birth while her husband was gone, purchasing and sending T-shirts with the unit's new logo to deployed soldiers, as well as sending Valentine's Day goodie bags.

"I'm hoping we can also sponsor some kind of welcome back barbecue when most of them get back," Ryder said.

Beyond the support events, Ryder and her family members have gained a great deal of military knowledge through their relationship with the unit. Ryder's youngest sister, a senior at Olympia High School, even did her senior project on the military connector program and Shur-Kleen's participation.

"I learned a lot through the project as well," said Ryder, whose family doesn't have a military background.

The company, which is owned by Liberty and her husband, Andrew, built its location on JBLM-Main six years ago and has six other locations spanning from Lacey to Bremerton. The locations recently offered $3 car washes on Armed Forces Day to show support for its military customers.