It's time to educate your peers and the community at large about the special needs of families and children undergoing challenging life events. April is the month of the military child, and it is important we recognize the sacrifices made by not only our deployed forces but their families as well.
Join us in supporting and applauding our military children and families for the daily sacrifices they make and challenges they overcome. Since 1986, the Defense Department designated April as the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role military children play in the armed forces community. Along with the sacrifice of having a parent away in service for months at a time, military children face many obstacles unique to their situation, such as frequently being uprooted from school, saying goodbye to friends and starting all over again. An issue facing military youth and families is the lack of community awareness of the unique challenges faced by military kids. This lack of understanding by the general public can make military youth feel isolated and misunderstood. These issues are particularly important for youth from National Guard and Reserve families who may not have access to traditional military support systems.
Military One Source is the Defense Department’s "one stop" place to go whenever service members or family members need assistance with any kind of problem. Family members include parents, siblings, spouses and their children: 24/7 and 365 days a year 1-800-342-9647 www.militaryonesource.com
We invite you -- every individual, family, group, business, and city in Louisiana -- to learn more about and support military children in your neighborhood. The event starts with YOU. Start the wheels in motion today.
Below are a few ideas and Web sites dedicated to supporting military children and families and service men and women. Be inspired by the suggestions, and get the creative juices flowing to develop your own unique ways to celebrate. However you choose to celebrate, remember to have fun and share your pride in the great work you do!
And don’t forget to tell us about your successes. Email twalker@agcenter.lsu.edu and ajones@agcenter.lsu.edu with your new activities so we can share them to inspire others.
Ideas
HERO PACKS are OMK knapsacks filled with a variety of items from the OMK partner agencies, which are given to military youth as a "Thank You" for the sacrifices that they make while their parents are deployed. OMK has presented Hero Packs to more than 45,000 Military Youth since 2004. Hero Packs, a youth-led and adult-supported project, contain a variety of items to provide children with fun activities and ways to stay connected to their deployed parents. In addition, information is provided to parents regarding local support programs for children and families.
Sponsor a letter-writing campaign: letters of appreciation handwritten to children and to their deployed family members thanking them for their service and sacrifices for our country.
Letter-writing party: contact a few friends and extended family to ask if they would write to a military child or soldier. http://www.soldiersangels.org/or http://www.anysoldier.com/
Encourage your local 4-H Club, The Boys & Girls Club, American Legion post, school club, veteran’s organizations or local church group to sponsor a “huggable” stuffed animal or book drive. These items can be added to Hero Packs for your local military children.
Call your local civic organizations such as the Rotary Club, Kiwanis, church groups and women’s clubs and offer to give a short talk at a luncheon or meeting about children’s issues within your organization.
If your organization would like to make donations of materials for Hero Packs, please contact any State OMK team member or email Ashley Jones at ajones@agcenter.lsu.edu or Tanya Walker at twalker@agcenter.lsu.edu. Items such as stationary, stamps, journals and pens, photo albums and disposable cameras are always welcome. A detailed HERO Pack Guide can be found on the 4-H Military Partnerships Web site along with other valuable information and resources.
Web sites
LSU AgCenter - 4-H
Supporting Military Families in Our Own Backyard
4-H Military Partnerships
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) site dedicated to deployments
Support Our Troops - An index of US Military Support Web Sites
Dave Graveline and the "Into Tomorrow" team invite you to send care packages to our soldiers located in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan or anywhere in the world.
Thanks for sharing your successes. Email twalker@agcenter.lsu.edu and ajones@agcenter.lsu.edu with your new activities so we can share them to inspire others.
Thanks for taking a moment out of your day to show support for our deployed sons and daughters and their families. Wear a yellow ribbon of support every day of the year.