First Lady Michelle Obama’s Initiative “Joining Forces” will be announced this week as a program focused on encouraging the nation to support military and their families. The Better Business Bureau’s Military Line, active in San Diego since 2008, is likely to be mentioned as part of the initiative.
As part of San Diego BBB’s mission to inform and protect consumers county-wide, Military Line was created. The program supports and provides consumer-related services to soldiers and their families through 90 minute presentations to soldiers by BBB staff.
“The opportunity to go out to each local installation and share the education I’ve gained through working at the BBB is invaluable. The BBB has such a wealth of information, and I enjoy being able to share what I’ve learned with the marketplace at large, and the military specifically,” said Mona Terry, BBB Director of Operations and local Military Line manager. “Knowing that the information I provide may keep someone from being taken advantage of, now or in the future, makes me proud to be the lead of this program.”
BBB Military Line lends a hand in military personnel education. With the help of the BBB, soldiers, who are often preyed upon by unscrupulous scammers, are empowered by BBB Smart Consumer Workshops to seek out good information and assistance using the Better Business Bureau system.
The BBB has reached over 1,000 service members in its three year tenure on Naval Bases at 32nd Street, Coronado and Point Loma, as well as the Marine Corps Air Station, the Coast Guard base, Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Terry, the BBB speaker, has even paired with the United States Secret Service during one of her presentations.
First Lady Obama’s Initiative is a call to action for the entire nation to devote the same time and caring to our armed services. The BBB is encouraged by the San Diego community’s support of the local program and looks forward to the impact Joining Forces will have not only locally, but nationwide.
For more information on BBB’s Military Line, visit the BBB website at http:// sandiego.bbb.org/Military/ or call (858) 496-2131.
The non-profit organization Better Business Bureau of San Diego and Imperial Counties opened in 1921, and is San Diego’s largest county-wide business membership organization with more than 6,300 accredited businesses and charities. The BBB promotes business ethics through voluntary self-regulation, consumer and business education, and helps consumers with free pre purchase information and consumer protection advice, including business reviews on more than 101,000 local companies. Before buying decisions are made, consumers are encouraged to phone the BBB's free 24 hour Consumer Helpline at (858) 496 2131 or (800) 600 7050, or visit the website at bbb.org, to obtain free pre-purchase information and a list of BBB accredited businesses by type of industry.
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Rachel Newman
Public Relation and Marketing Coordinator
Better Business Bureau, San Diego
(858) 637-6199
Rnewman@sandiego.bbb.org