ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Airmen from the 97th Air Mobility Wing and Jackson County Health Department personnel held a united workshop for base members and the community called U-Night, Nov. 12, 2020, at the Southwest Technology Center in Altus.
U-Night is a quarterly event that allows attendees the opportunity to focus on themselves while uniting members within the communities. This workshop focused on being healthy for the holidays by communicating ways to handle holiday stress and finances.
“U-Night is a play-on-words. It happens at night, it is a chance to focus on you and a chance to unite the base and the Altus communities,” said Judith Mott, 97th Air Mobility Wing public affairs community engagement section chief.
Event participants listened to two guest speakers during the night. The first speaker was Jerome Davis, 97th Force Support Squadron community readiness consultant and base representative for U-Night, who spoke about financially preparing for the holiday season and how to spend money wisely.
“A lot of people are subconsciously trying to impress the people next to them when they don’t even know that person,” said Davis. “People have to prioritize what truly is important and, to make that happen, they have to learn how to be smart with their money.”
The other speaker and community representative for U-Night was Victoria Cleveland, Jackson County Health Department wellness coordinator, who talked about techniques for managing stress.
“Whether a person is in or out of uniform, the holidays are a stressful time on top of everything else going on,” said Cleveland. “It is just simple techniques like breathing or doing a different task that can help people get through stressful situations. This night is a way for us to have our two communities into one strengthened, united group.”
According to Mott, the base representative for U-Night, the event will be held again early next year. It will focus on mental health and resiliency and, once again, have guest speakers from both the base and community.
“We are aiming for February 2021,” said Mott. “We hope that it will continue to grow and become a common name here in Altus…U-Night.”