SAN ANTONIO — Maria Reed is the creator of a web series called “Moving with the Military.” She’s been a producer and director in the film industry. Now, she’s the host of the series. She began the show two years ago and since then, it’s grown to nearly 4 million viewers. The goal is to highlight military families, share their struggles, sacrifices and do a makeover of their home.
Reed understands the challenges that military families face in their lives. Her husband is currently serving in the Army and their family has been on the move. She helps families create a space that’s not only affordable, but beautiful. She said changing a family's space can change a family.
“We created this show to share the stories of military families and bridge the civilian military divide, empower military spouses, and to improve the mental health wellness of the military family,” she said.
Last week, she was in San Antonio recording her next episode. She featured a military spouse named Shaun Beal. They chose to have Reed and her team revamp the USO Pathfinder Transition Center downtown. It helps military members, service members and their families transition into civilian life.
“We call him the cupcake guy because he makes thousands of cupcakes every year. He gives them away to veterans, military families, for birthdays, at the hospital. He’s just a giving soul and a great guy,” Reed said. “He’s nominated for all of the volunteer work that he does. When we spoke with him, we came up with an idea to help many military families in San Antonio.”
In a matter of days, Reed and her team transformed the place. They repainted the center, created a new multimedia area, presentation stage, a lecture/learning center and added a coffee and lounge area.
“Those who receive the makeovers are saying 'thank you for the stuff. It’s beautiful. But it’s what you did. Coming out here and making a difference and bringing all these people to volunteer, to show that we matter. We care about you.' That? You can’t put a price on that,” Reed said.
Reed does community DIY events as well. She travels to different cities and teaches people how to create decorative pieces or functional items for a home.
“There is something powerful when you make something. You leave a little bit of yourself there. There’s value in it. So, by being able to teach that and create something, we build community. We engage those who are there. We do those live events but we also do that on the internet,” Reed said.
Reed was recognized for her efforts with military families. She was given the 2019 AFI Army Spouse of the Year award. There were 1,200 spouses nominated worldwide and the spouses were narrowed down for every military branch. The award is given to military spouses who are making a difference in their communities and across the nation. You can watch episodes on her website, Apple TV, Roku TV and Amazon Fire.
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