Mountain Home Exchange Reaches Out to Quality-of-Life Program

Children from the installation's youth center spent an enjoyable afternoon at the Mountain Home AFB Exchange. 

At  Idaho’s Mountain Home AFB, Exchange managers and associates reached out to one of the most critical Quality-of-Life programs on the isolated installation—the Youth Center—to give the kids experiences they won’t soon forget.

On July 27, Exchange managers brought 60 children to the store for a Military Brat Patch event and a tour of everything from the loss prevention office to the stockroom.

“Our event was to focus on the children because the Military Brat Patch program is designed to recognize them for their sacrifices,” said Services Business Manager Carlos Torres. “The Mountain Home Exchange has a goal of connecting with the military community by building lifelong relationships. Military families experience a lot of changes in their lives due to PCS and deployments. The Exchange is always there to serve no matter where their military journey takes them.”

Airmen, families deserve no less

In 2017, the Exchange at Mountain Home AFB provided nearly $384,000 to Quality-of-Life programs for Airmen and their families.

The smiles you’ll see on their faces are the rewards.

-Keith Gorsuch, main store manager

Main Store Manager Keith Gorsuch said that the installation being located in the middle of nowhere—10 miles from the city of Mountain Home and 50 miles from Boise—is all the more reason for the Exchange to reach out to the base’s Quality-of-Life programs.

Children from the youth center tour the stockroom of the Exchange at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.

“Our Airmen and their families here deserve no less than Airmen and families located on a base with a town right outside the gate,” Gorsuch said. “Quality-of-Life programs are very necessary here to accomplish giving our Airmen and families the same things.

“You must reach out to these Quality-of-Life programs like the Youth Center to get to know your community. Just don’t concentrate on those programs that cater to adults, but reach out to children and teens, whose parents are, or can become, your customers. Community awareness and participation is what makes these types of events fun.”

Sometimes, Gorsuch added, reaching out to a Quality-of-Life program is more than making a financially good return on investment.

“The smiles you’ll see on their faces are the rewards,” he said.