Cove resident, Fort Hood spouse named Armed Forces Insurance Fort Hood Military Spouse of the Year®; advances to national voting round

Special to Leader-Press

FORT HOOD — Following more than 1200 nationwide nominations and a national vote yielding more than 86,000 votes, Maria Reed has been named the 2019 Armed Forces Insurance Fort Hood Spouse of the Year®. 
Reed is one of only 18 finalists for the national military spouse of the year award. Reed’s ability to secure the honor relies partially on her community support. Vote for Reed at https://msoy.afi.org/contestants/maria-mendezreed/ through noon on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.
Reed is currently stationed with her husband, Sergeant First Class Patrick Reed at Fort Hood. 
Now in its twelfth year honoring the dedication and sacrifices of our nation’s more than 1.1 million military spouses, Armed Forces Insurance is proud to recognize military spouses from all six branches of the Armed Forces who are making a difference in their communities.
As a Cuban immigrant, Maria Reed and her family fled communism in search of a new home, freedom, and the American dream. Like other base winners, she was nominated for her work with the military community after creating the series Moving With The Military, a series that shares the trials and triumphs of military families and celebrates them with a surprise home makeover.
Maria believed in the mission so much that when potential sponsors said no, she did anyway. That is how much military families mean to her. Maria realized many military families struggle with the idea of home. It has become her mission to help change the lives of military families through community and kindness. Inspired to continue to effect change, Maria hopes to work as a liaison with her community to help improve their quality of life. 
In August 2018, Reed made over a classroom at Hettie Halstead Elementary for first year teacher and military spouse Catherine Barker.  
She is also very passionate about her work with Lemonade Day. As the Military Lemonade Day Champion, Maria works tirelessly to empower military kids through entrepreneurial mentorship.
“It is my great honor to stand proudly with my husband as he serves our country in the United States Army,” said Reed. “I hope that sharing what the stories of military families will help bridge the military/civilians divide and bring our communities closer together.” Reed also shares “Helping to improve the quality of life for military families is our responsibility and honor. This is my tribe, my people. We must give back to those who sacrifice so much.”
As a base winner, Reed is now a step closer to being named the overall 2019 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year® (MSOY). Nominations from non-family members were accepted January 2-31 across all six branches of the United States military. Through a combination of popular vote and judging panels, the nominees have been whittled down to base winners with branch winners announced next. After a final vote conducted on March 7-8, the overall winner will be announced at an awards dinner on May 9 at Fort Meyer in Arlington, VA in conjunction with National Military Spouse Appreciation Day which occurs on May 10.
“Over the nine years Armed Forces Insurance has been involved with the Military Spouse of the Year® awards program, we have seen it grow and amplify the voice of the military spouse on a national stage,” said Lori Simmons, chief marketing office at Armed Forces Insurance. “These spouses have pioneered initiatives, founded organizations and advocated for issues impacting the military community in the best ways imaginable. We are thrilled to welcome the 2019 base winners to the AFI-MSOY family and work alongside them to make an even bigger impact.”
To learn more about Maria Reed and the other base winners, please visit www.msoy.afi.org.