The Centre County United Way is undertaking a new initiative, Operation ASAP (Armed Services Assistance Program), to aid the family members of local military personnel during times of deployment.

"There is no better way to say thank you to our military personnel while they are away than to take care of their families," said Ellie Beaver, executive director of the Centre County United Way, at a press conference yesterday.

Operation ASAP will complement, not replace, the services offered by the military. It will provide assistance in areas including subsidized day care, small emergency loans and postage for care packages sent abroad.

Assistance through the initiative is available immediately through an all-hours hotline at (800) 494-2500.

"If someone calls we'll make sure they know what is available to them through military support groups," Tammy Gentzel, director of the Community Help Centre, said. "If assistance can't be provided by the militaries agencies, Operation ASAP will provide it."

Molly Snavely, who has two sons in the military, said Operation ASAP will provide emotional support for families.

The Centre County United Way might also establish support groups for family members. The hotline can be used if a family member just needs someone to talk to. The hotline cannot be used for contacting deployed military personnel. The Red Cross should be the first point of contact for emergencies requiring contact with service people abroad, the United Way said.

Commander Svend Pedersen of the Penn State ROTC said he is "extremely grateful" for the initiative.

Pedersen said all military branches have support services in place for family members. However, he said many of the benefits of the services often do not extend far beyond military bases. Therefore, for rural areas like Centre County, local involvement is ideal.

"We're filling in the gaps the military service centers don't fill," Beaver said. "Across the board, if there is a need, we will try to fill it."

Corina Swartz discussed the problems she encountered after her husband was deployed to Japan. Following deployment, Swartz searched for a job to help support her children. However, Child Care Information Services (CCIS) told her she didn't qualify for subsidized day care because of unemployment.

Beaver said that situation is the type of catch-22 Operation ASAP is trying to prevent. Although CCIS eventually worked with her, Beaver said such occurrences subject families to unnecessary additional stress.

"I will go to bat for these [military families]," Beaver said. "They are making a huge sacrifice and we need to let them know it's appreciated."

Operation ASAP will not necessarily end when the fighting ceases in Iraq, but rather will continue as long as it's needed.

The project was launched through a small grant from the United Way's Community Initiative Fund but needs community support to be successful, Beaver said.

"It's painless, it's patriotic, and it can be fun," Beaver said.