Can't" isn't a word in Tera Stacey's vocabulary.
An Army wife, Stacey, 24, is working full time toward an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from Tacoma Community College. She is also is also the mother of three - Portlynn, 4, Maddalyn, 3 and Jarod, 11 months, who has Down syndrome. "I hate when people say they ‘can't,'" said Stacey, who grew up in Yelm. "Look, I have three kids and my husband (Staff Sgt. Jared Stacey, 38th Engineer Company) is never home."
Stacey hopes to continue her studies and one day become a nurse practitioner, physical therapist or pediatric registered nurse, all of which she has had a lot of exposure to since having had Jarod. "Having a special needs kid, you see so many possibilities," she said.
Helping her recognize her goal is the Heroes at Home 2 (H@H2) program, which provides funds for tuition, certification fees, lab fees, books and even support services such as transportation costs. The program is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to the Washington State Employment Security Department and overseen locally by WorkForce Central and the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council.
Without it, Stacey "would be taking online classes toward a degree I would never use," she said. Instead, "(H@H2) is letting me work toward a degree in something I'm interested in and hopefully a job I'll enjoy." Moreover, Stacey is allowed to keep any additional grant money for which she is eligible, she said, noting that she uses those funds to pay for full-time childcare on North Fort while she attends school.
Stacey, who moved to the area from Vilseck, Germany in April and lives on McChord Field, heard about the program from a classmate at TCC. "I went straight there, that day," she said. Within about a week - following an orientation and a bit of paperwork - she had funds in place. "It was like nothing for free money," she said. "Everyone seems to be pretty nice ... I thought it was easy."
To be eligible for H@H2 assistance, spouses must have dislocated from a job due to a PCS move or BRAC-related reassignment since 2005 and have an active-duty (or activated) Servicemember assigned to JBLM. Though enrollment in the program is currently at its capacity of 825, interested applicants will be put on a waiting list, said Dave Krause, an employee training specialist with H@H2. Program members will provide those looking for assistance with information about other ways to find education benefits, he said.  
For more information, call (253) 966-7366 or (360) 570-4271, stop by the Stone Education Center in building 6242 on JBLM Main.

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