LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Mrs. Andrea Alfaro won the US Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center Key Spouse of the year award for 2019.
Alfaro is a member of the base’s Key Spouse volunteer program. Her husband works at SMC’s Development Corps. She was involved in several major events and initiatives such as educating the new Key Spouse volunteers under the re-architected SMC structure, organized the Airmen Thanksgiving celebration, supported the Base Thrift Shop and ran the holiday cookie drive.
The Key Spouse volunteer program is an official unit family program designed to enhance readiness and establish a sense of Air Force community. This is a commander’s program and has been standardized across the Air Force to address the needs of all military families with special emphasis on support to families across the deployment cycle.
Alfaro’s influential leadership played a significant role with Key Spouses on how volunteers could support SMC leadership as the Center underwent a new change process. In addition to devoting her time as a spouse and mother of three children, she attended countless base events to promote awareness for the Key Spouse program and organized numerous opportunities for spouses to connect on a peer to peer level. One such standout event was the potluck dinner she organized held at Fort MacArthur for the enlisted Airmen who were unable to return home for Thanksgiving.
One of her most rewarding experiences was her volunteer work supporting the Base Thrift Store. She said volunteering at the shop was not only an opportunity for her to meet amazing people who visit the store to buy household goods, but it really grew her appreciation for the network of volunteers that sustain the Thrift Store year in and year out. From January thru December 2019, with income generated from the Thrift Store and matching donations from donors, volunteers and the LA Charitable Fund were able to award over $35,000 to military youth. The Fund’s core mission is to provide scholarships to children of military families and Department of Defense civilians. She also organized the SMC holiday cookie drive delivering more than 125 dozen holiday treats to Airmen. The SMC commander and Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson said, “Key Spouses are the bedrock of our Los Angeles AFB family; our mission success depends on their support.”
When asked how important it was to be selected as SMC’s Key Spouse of the year, Alfaro said, “It is an honor to be recognized as a volunteer and so rewarding to have the opportunity to make a difference in supporting the needs of military families here at SMC and Fort MacArthur.”