R2 Fair brings resources to Fort Leonard Wood community

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Fort Leonard Wood’s Army Substance Abuse Program hosted a Ready and Resilient Fair, or R2 Fair, May 28, 2026, at the Main Post Chapel.
According to Fort Leonard Wood ASAP Specialist Malia Nemetz, more than 600 people attended the fair and 46 agencies from on and off the installation supported the event with the purpose of teaching service members and their families how to become holistically healthy.
“We have booths set up here where visitors can learn about a whole range of topics like substance abuse and suicide prevention or finance and education,” Nemetz said.
Five blocks of mandatory training were also available, allowing employees to fulfill their annual training requirements while meeting new faces and learning about skills needed to care for oneself, a battle buddy or a family member, Nemetz added.
For Master Sgt. Vera Sablan, Headquarter and Headquarters Company Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, attending the event assisted her in becoming a better and more effective leader.
“It’s a great opportunity to have a one-stop shop with so many resources that are willing to help service members and their families,” Sablan said. “As a leader, it makes it convenient to see all of these resources in one spot so I can take that knowledge back to my Soldiers and let them know about all the resources available to them.”
One of those resources was the Army Emergency Relief program.
Capt. Dackery Geiman, 1st Engineer Brigade ran the AER booth, and said the R2 fair provided a great venue to showcase how AER can help a Soldier, whether with getting some needed groceries or making a mortgage payment.
“All the funding we receive is from donations from military members themselves, so the program is about Soldiers helping Soldiers,” Geiman said. “Coming out to an R2 Fair is great because it allows us to be here and talk to the public about what we do and reach family members we might not be able to reach when we are briefing units about the program.”
Another resource came from the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood Safety Office. John Lackey, Safety and Occupational Health specialist who manned the safety booth, said the fair allowed his team to highlight the importance of creating safe environments for service members to work and play.
“Today, in a big way, is a safety fair,” Lackey said. “We want people to know that they can enjoy the summer, while still staying safe.”
Other booths included the American Red Cross, the Financial Readiness Program, Conservation Law Enforcement, General Leonard Wood Community Hospital and the Drunk Driving Prevention Program. 
This was the ninth R2 Fair hosted by ASAP, and Nemetz said she hoped everyone who attended gained a better understanding of ways they can get help and help others.
“Resiliency is when life knocks you down, having the ability to get back up,” she said. “We have all the tools right here — you can see that you are not alone.”