Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gretchen May
413-577-0332; gmay@umext.umass.edu
Local Organizations Join to Support Military Families
AMHERST, MA, March 3, 2008 – Since 9/11, nearly 10,000 Massachusetts residents have been deployed through the National Guard, Army Reserve, and other military branches. For many of these military moms and dads, leaving home means leaving behind children whose special needs and concerns may not be obvious, even to friends and neighbors.
That’s where Operation Military Kids comes in.
“Some of these children are really isolated,” says Gretchen May, an educator at UMass Extension, which coordinates the Massachusetts branch of Operation Military Kids (OMK) through Massachusetts 4-H, the youth development program of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Extension, University Outreach unit. “They may not know anyone else who’s experiencing deployment,” adds May. That’s a particular problem inMassachusetts, where reserve component members are spread throughout the state, rather than living full time on base.
The programs of OMK seek to change all that by finding ways for military children to enjoy support, camaraderie, and just plain fun—a goal that’s more pressing than ever during April, the national “Month of the Military Child.” And now, through a series of “mini-grants,” OMK is footing the bill for community organizations willing to host activities for young people whose parents face deployment. Already, the group has funded children’s yoga classes, after-school workshops on topics from nutrition to gardening, family fun nights—even a high ropes course in conjunction with the Amherst Police Department.
“We welcome any organization or community group willing to sponsor an activity or event,” says May. The grants, ranging from $100 to $500 or more, have so far been used to cover event admission, open clubs for special hours, pay for supplies, and fund guest presenters. May’s also happy to help groups brainstorm ideas, and can even put them in touch with the local National Guard if they don’t already have access to military families.
For Sandy Wakefield, youth program coordinator at Barnes Air Guard Base in Westfield, last summer’s OMK-funded high-ropes course was a godsend. “Children’s activities can be very expensive, but thanks to the mini-grant program we didn’t have to plan way in advance and hold fundraisers to give the kids this great opportunity,” she says.
“There’s a huge need for programs like this in Massachusetts,” she adds. “It’s really important for kids to be able to get together with other kids in their same situation and say ‘What was it like when your dad went away?” or ‘What do you do when your mom’s away?’”
Even such small opportunities for sharing can have a big impact. When the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield held a get-together for nearby military families, the benefits were immediate says the club’s assistant executive director Lerryn Godden—not just as a result of the free memberships for military children, but through the connections those young people made with others in the same boat. “On his way home, one boy whose dad was in Iraq shared with his grandmother that he’d been having dreams about his dad dying,” recalls Godden. “He’d never told that to anyone before, but after being with other military kids, he must have had a sense that the time was right to open up.”
For many military families, says Godden, just finding out that they—and their children—don’t have to go it alone is an important first step. And it’s not just the children who benefit, says Wakefield. In the end, it’s good for all of us. “When kids get more comfortable with each other, they’re happier spending time at the base,” she says. “And when families are happy, it really helps us with retention.”
Fortunately, the word is getting out. “Support for military children hasn’t really been addressed previously,” says May. “But we’re doing what we can to help people become more aware that these children do exist in Massachusetts. We want to let families know that the community supports them.”
“It’s all about awareness, awareness, awareness,” agrees Godden. “If these activities can have an impact on even one child, then that’s what we have to do.”
Operation: Military Kids is a partnership of Army Child and Youth Services, National 4-H Headquarters/USDA, and University of Massachusetts Amherst 4-H Youth Development. Operation: Military Kids-Massachusetts is supported by the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project under KansasState University special project number 2007-48661-03868.
For more information on the OMK mini-grant program or to apply for a grant, contact Gretchen May at 413-577-0332.
