Inspire Up launches conference for first responder, veteran and military spouses

This fall, the Inspire Up Foundation will host a conference for veteran, military and first responder spouses. The military spouse-run nonprofit hopes to encourage, uplift and connect spouses through their three day event.

Taking place from November 4-6, 2021, outside of Kansas City, the conference tickets are $49.99. The ticket not only include the workshops but food for the entire event as well. Stacy Bilodeau is the Chief Operating Officer for the organization and lead for the conference. In her words, it was created to specifically target not only the pain points but to ensure spouses could walk away with tangible skills and resources to support their needs.

"It really was born from going to conference after conference. Though I'd be excited while I was there and be completely motivated it didn't last," she explained. "Although attending motivational speeches is great, there has to be more hands on and action planning for success. That's where this conference idea came from."

To avoid the pitfall of participants walking away without successfully tackling their goals, the team put a lot of work into designing the workshops to prevent it from happening. For example, the branding workshop isn't just education-based; participants will walk away with professional head shots. They've even included a personal safety and defense course taught by a retired Air Force OSI agent. Workshops include classes on everything from cooking to employment.

The "You're Worth It" conference is sponsored by Caliber Home Loans, Armed Forces Insurance, Radisson Hotel Americas and PCSgrades. Within the partnership, Radisson is not only hosting the event but has capped the room costs at just $70 a night. For those spouses who may need financial help attending, the team has them covered, too.

"We absolutely recognize the costs associated could be hard for a family to budget. If you want to attend but need help with affording it, we've got you. This is all thanks to an angel donor who wanted to support the mission of this event and we couldn't be more grateful," Maria Reed, CEO of the Inspire Up Foundation said.

Although the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has been making its way across America causing mandates and canceled events, the conference will take place in person. "We'll provide masks, hand sanitizer and stage tables so people can socially distance. Though we encourage vaccination or taking a COVID test prior to attending it is not a requirement to attend at this time," Bilodeau said. "We feel strongly about coming together as a community, especially during these challenging times. We need each other and this conference is just a small way for our team to create that opportunity."

If you'd like to learn more about the conference, click here. For those who'd like to inquire about a scholarship to attend, you can apply here.