Photo Provided Blue Star Mothers of Barnesville President Mandy Bishop poses in front of an American flag during a Blue Star Mothers of Barnesville meeting. They occur at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at the Barnesville Youth Center.

BARNESVILLE — The Blue Star Mothers OH65 aims to provide a community to mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians who have children serving in the military, National Guard, Reserves, or children who are veterans.

According to The Blue Star Mothers of America’s website, it is a non-partisan, non-political, non-sectarian organization that doesn’t support any political candidate or endorse any religious organization.

Blue Star Mothers OH65 President Mandy Bishop’s son, Hunter Graham, joined the U.S. Army on Nov. 6, 2023. Mandy Bishop said she felt a sense of pride and panic when he joined, which led her to seek a connection with other members in the community going through a similar experience.

“I searched around for local support groups for military families and the closest one was in Coshocton, Ohio. I attended a Blue Star Mothers meeting and discovered how important this organization was to our veterans, military moms, military families and anyone who wanted to support our veterans,” she said.

After coordinating with the Blue Star Mothers of America organization, she began her adventure of creating a local chapter in Belmont County.

The Blue Star Mothers OH65 is a 501(c)(3) organization with the mission is to support each other and their children while promoting patriotism.

“The military represents all aspects of America, as does our organization,” Blue Star Mothers of Bishop said. “Our organization not only provides support for active duty service personnel, promotes patriotism, assists veterans organizations and is available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts to help our country remain strong.”

According to the Blue Star Mothers of America’s website, on Jan. 22, 1942, the Flint News Advertiser printed a coupon asking mothers of servicemen to return the coupon after filling it out. The following Feb. 1, about 300 mothers met in the Durant Hotel in Flint Michigan. Capt. George H. Maines, who had conceived the idea for this group, acted as the chair of this first meeting. It was decided after receiving 1,000 responses from the ad to form a permanent organization. On Feb. 6 of the same year, the organization was reported on Congressional record. Chapters then formed in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, Iowa and Washington. In June of 1960, the organization was chartered by Congress.

Mothers volunteered throughout World War II by working in hospitals and train stations. They also packed care packages for soldiers and were a working part of homeland security during times of war.

According to the Blue Star Mothers of America, the organization has begun to grow in size and strength.

“We focus on our mission every single day and will never, ever, forsake our troops, our veterans, or the families of our fallen heroes,” Bishop said.

She added that the organization meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at the Barnesville Youth Center.