Army Sgt. Taylor Bussiere was among dozens of Soldiers attending a virtual Yellow Ribbon event this past weekend in preparation for her first military deployment.

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division continues to host virtual Yellow Ribbon events for Soldiers before and after deployments, having switched to a virtual platform due to restrictions necessitated by the global pandemic.

"I just think that it's really great that they're hosting this event in order to give an opportunity to Soldiers to access different non-profit organizations and different aspects to help the unit members and family members while we're deployed," said Bussiere, a New Hampshire native who serves in a military police unit. "Having the ability to bring [the event] to an online platform gives us all the opportunity to join and have people come on and present different resources."

Bussiere and her fellow Army Reserve Soldiers attended the two-day virtual event alongside their family members to learn of the numerous military-related resources, opportunities and benefits available to them before, during and after deployment.

"They went over a couple things this morning such as the Read Across America nonprofit, really just shedding light and giving different resources for Soldiers with kids," Bussiere explained during an interview on the second day of the weekend event. "I know that for a lot of families, deployments and mobilizations can be really hard, especially on the kids, so I think they're looking forward to meeting and hearing about those organizations and what's to offer."

Topics covered at Yellow Ribbon events include reintegration, resiliency, relationship building, suicide awareness, communication, anger management, finances, employment and resume writing, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the Veterans Administration, Military One Source, several colleges and universities, and companies looking to hire veterans.

"I'm super grateful that we had this event and that [the 99th RD] organized it," Bussiere said. "It's not an easy doing for sure, so I'm just really grateful that they put this together for us."