On the night of June 29, the Thurston County Fairgrounds was the backdrop for the start of a beautiful friendship between the Soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), the city of Lacey, the North Thurston Public School District and the Lacey Chamber of Commerce.

The meet and greet event, called the Arrowhead Adopt-A-Company program, was sponsored and coordinated by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Lacey subchapter and allowed leadership of the various companies and batteries of the 3rd SBCT to meet with representatives from the businesses they'd been paired with.

"You may drive by JBLM ... slowly, because we clog up the roads," joked Col. Charles R. Webster, the 3rd SBCT commander. "But we hope this will allow you to learn what we do inside of the gates."

The program links businesses with companies in the brigade in the hope that they form a long-term relationship that can be reciprocal in nature.

"The involvement of our schools just makes sense because more than 10 percent of the kids in the Thurston school district are military," said North Thurston Public Schools Superintendent Raj Manhas. In fact, of the 21 district schools, 11 are participating in the program.

"The best part is that I think this will help me to understand the kids with deployed parents more," said Komachin Middle School teacher Lydia Smith. "That sort of insight can make a big difference when a kid is struggling."

"This is a way to show our students how to achieve their dreams," said Dave Lehnis, principal of Timberline High School.

In addition to the district's schools, other local businesses stepped up, including The Ram, Wholesale Sports, Olympia Auto Mall, Target and The Ranger/Nortwest Airlifter newspapers, as well as many of the city's own departments.

"This goes beyond the community connector program," said Scott Spence, Lacey assistant city manager, who will serve as the point of contact for the city's Public Affairs Department, as he was reviewing schedules and discussing some ideas with Capt. Rick Helton, commander of A Battery, 1-37 Field Artillery, 3rd SBCT.

"This is a more personal connection and really a mutually beneficial relationship for the city and the Soldiers," Spence added.

"We've always had a great relationship with the military due to our proximity, but we are hoping to build even greater relationships with this endeavor," said Lacey Mayor Tom Nelson during an address to the crowded event. "Thank you for your service, thank you for being here tonight and thank you for wanting to be a part of our community."