Josh and Danielle have three beautiful, smart, and amazing children- Joshua, 12; Corrine, 10; and Madeline, 8. In April of 2014, the family started receiving grants through Our Military Kids’ Severely Injured Program to attend Capital MMA and Elite Fitness. Josh is an amputee who has also been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). Because of his diagnoses, Josh faces obstacles every day, and his memory is not what it used to be. The change in his medical status has been a learning experience for him and his entire family. In response to the question of how his wounds affect his family, Josh shared, “I found myself in a type of denial, when it comes to this. To say that it doesn’t really affect them would be a lie.” His response is all too familiar for many other Wounded Warriors as well. Since 9/11 hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women have come home injured. Whether the wounds are visible or “invisible,” the lives of the servicemen and women are forever changed alongside the families who love them. Spouses often take over the role of caregiver, and the children often become caregivers as well. Extracurricular activities can help ease the transition to a new normal for the whole family. For Josh, having his children involved in extracurricular activities not only helped them find a place to fit in but also helped Josh, “I can personally say that getting back into these activities has helped me get off my pain meds,” Josh said when talking about his family Our Military Kids has given the family a place to bond while learning valuable skills. The girls, Madeline and Corinne, had been going to the gym for a while. At first they were not motivated to participate, but when they discovered No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu (submission wrestling) they found their passion. Corinne won seventeen straight fights playing King of the Mat. The entire gym stopped to watch her compete with passion. Since this instance, Corinne has been competing in tournaments, and her wins include one against a boy who was a belt higher and twenty pounds heavier. What a feat! The children stay busy trying different activities throughout the seasons. This fall Madeline is going to try wrestling as well. Joshua will be the starting catcher for spring and fall baseball, while Corinne and Madeline will play soccer and cheer. Capital is where the whole family feels safe. “I am not in a traditional line unit and that is one thing that we really miss, the bond between other members in the unit, as well as the families,” said Josh. Now the family has found that bond with other families at Capital thanks to Our Military Kids’ Severely Injured Program.

When was the last time you cooked at home? No, not microwaving a frozen dinner – actually cooked. If it’s been a while, you might have forgotten how great it feels to actually make a real meal in your own kitchen. Try out one of these super easy–to–make #ClassIRecipes from Guard Your Health, an Army National Guard health and wellness campaign. Here are four reasons you’ll be glad you did.

1.    Save Money

It’s common to spend more than $20 on a restaurant dinner, but you can often make three or four home-cooked meals for the same price. Check out this recipe for a tuna and apple sandwich from Guard Your Health for a cheap, healthy eat. Many of the #ClassIRecipes feature budgetfriendly options ranging from $3-$7 for a family of four. That’s less than $2 per serving!

2.    Know What You Are Eating

Restaurants are getting a lot better at telling you what’s in the food on their menus, but nothing beats buying, preparing, and seeing all the ingredients for yourself. When cooking at home, you’re in control of making sure you and your family are eating healthy, wholesome meals. This #ClassIRecipes breakfast option contains only five ingredients and is sure to make your mouth water.

3.    Cook with Family or Friends

Cooking can be a ton of fun, especially with family or friends. Pick an easy #ClassIRecipe to make with your kids or special someone, or invite some friends over for a dinner party. #ClassIRecipes are fun to make, and even more fun to eat!

4.    Save Time

Fast food is fast, but the ingredients might not be healthy. If you want a wholesome meal, you can often make it quicker than it would take you to drive to a restaurant and buy it. Try one of the #ClassIRecipes that are ready in only 30 minutes or less. Another convenient option is to make a slow cooker recipe. What’s better than your dinner cooking itself while you go about your day? This slow cooker recipe is a perfect time saver and makes more than enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. Ready to whip up one of the #ClassIRecipes? Let us know how it turns out by posting a picture using #ClassIRecipes and tagging the Guard Your Health Facebook page or @ARNGHealth Twitter account. Happy cooking! ### Guard Your Health (www.guardyourhealth.com) is a health and medical readiness campaign for Army National Guard Soldiers and their families sponsored by the Army National Guard Chief Surgeon’s Office. Guard Your Health provides Army National Guard Soldiers with the information, motivation, and support to overcome challenges and make healthy decisions for themselves, their families, and their units. To learn more about improving your health, visit the Guard Your Health website, like “Guard Your Health” on Facebook, and follow @ARNGHealth on Twitter. For tips to max your APFT and stay mission ready, subscribe to FitText, Guard Your Health’s text message program, by texting FIT to 703-997-6747.

October was an exciting month for Our Military Kids programs, which gave out over $125,000 through 290 grants to students in 42 states and Puerto Rico. This month’s numbers are slightly lower than in previous months, but this is an expected drop off from the busyness of summer camps and back to school activity signups. Our three most popular activities in October were dance, martial arts and gymnastics, and there were an array of other popular activities such as swimming, piano, cheer leading and STEM clubs. We also gave out grants for some less popular but equally exciting activities such as horseback riding, Color Guard, Debate Club and Flight School. Along with program activities, October was a busy month as Our Military Kids staff implemented its yearly survey of grant recipient families. Like every survey before, our families were extremely responsive, and we are so grateful for their invaluable input and feedback. And like every survey before, our families shared the powerful impacts of Our Military Kids programs. Here are some of the highlights:

• 699 people completed the surveys, a response rate of 33.5%

• Almost 98% of Service Members/Veterans said the grants positively impacted their recovery/morale.
• Over 2/3 (67.53%) said the grants improved their child(ren)’s academic performance.
• Over 92% said the grants improved their child(ren)’s symptoms resulting from deployment or parental injury.
• Almost 98% said the grants helped their overall family well-being.
• Almost 98% said the application process was easy.
• And almost 100% (99.7%) said they would recommend Our Military Kids to other families.

  Thank you to all of the families who took the time to complete our survey. Our Military Kids takes the feedback very seriously, and we will continue to work hard to maintain, and even surpass, this year’s results.   To see the full reports, please click HERE

At age 11, the world can be an exciting place with a new adventure waiting around almost every corner. It is a time to make friends, enjoy family vacations, learn and experience something new almost every day. However, when the child of a soldier learns that his father is being deployed, that simple, fun-filled life changes and he must face new realities. When Madisyn’s father told his family he was going to deploy with the Army National Guard, Madisyn and her siblings were unaware of the impact deployment was going to have on the everyday life of their family. They soon learned that deployment meant living in a single parent house with all the challenges that come with it. With four kids to care for on her own, Madisyn’s mother, Lindsay, reached out to Our Military Kids. Kaelyn and Brooklyn, 8 year-old twins, received grants- one for dance and the other for figure skating. The youngest child, Greyson, started soccer and swim lessons. Madisyn received a grant to continue her passion for gymnastics. As a virtual single parent, Lindsay often struggled to be in four different places at once to transport her children to and from their activities. Prior to deployment, she and her husband had shared responsibilities involving the children. In a single parent household, time, energy, and money were all stretched thin. Fortunately, the four Our Military Kids’ grants helped to alleviate some of the financial burden of keeping the kids active. During the year of deployment, Madisyn started middle school, joined choir, and continued with gymnastics. Madisyn was upset that her father was missing so many important events and milestones, but according to Lindsay, “Gymnastics was her go-to. Madisyn is carefree at the gym. Madisyn “eats, sleeps and breathes gymnastics. The family has a balance beam in the basement and a trampoline in the back yard to supplement her four to five nights a week at the gym during the competition season   All members of the family are involved by cheering each other on. Whether it is Kaelyn’s dance recitals, Brooklyn’s figure skating programs or Madisyn’s gymnastics competitions, mother, brother and sisters are there to cheer and support each other. In an effort to keep her husband involved, Lindsay makes sure to FaceTime and regularly share pictures from meets, concerts and the many other activities the kids are engaged in. The grant awards allow all the kids to share something positive with their father each week.   Madisyn has competed in gymnastics for two years and has won countless ribbons and awards. In 2014, Madisyn placed 3^rd all around at the AAU Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa. This year she placed 10^th at the MAGA Gymnastics Divisional Meet (which was her first meet back after a broken arm.) That win qualified her to compete this year in the Junior Olympics in Virginia Beach! Madisyn’s father is home now, cheering on all his children. His first weekend back Madisyn had a gymnastics meet and Brooklyn had a figure skating show. The entire family spent time bonding in the bleachers dining on food from the concession stand. Lindsay shared, “They (ALL four children) were so excited that Luke was back and cheering them on again!” The grants allowed the family to come together around activities that better the children’s lives. After the deployment, the activities funded by the grants helped the family to reconnect and bond.

Chinatown in Washington D.C. was experiencing a major revitalization in 2003. Brothers Ty and Mark Neal and their friend, Drew Kim, saw this as the perfect time and place to open their first Matchbox Restaurant. Since 2003, the company has opened 12 restaurants, all company owned in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Six more are in various stages of development in three different states. Next week, the first ever standalone store with a brand new design will be opening in Ashburn, Virginia, followed by a Matchbox in Dallas in March 2015, and two in South Florida. Matchbox Food Group is growing every day, and Our Military Kids is growing right along with them. In 2013, Our Military Kids teamed with Matchbox Food Group to be the beneficiary of their stores’ soft openings. Matchbox Food Group has donated nearly $20,000 to Our Military Kids by giving all proceeds from food purchased during the soft openings of their restaurants. When asked about the response Ty receives when customers learn of our partnership, he responded, “It is easy to be passionate about the military piece. We have a little patriotic streak running through our theme.” Ty is no stranger to the importance of extracurricular activities in a child’s life. He has three children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old, and he says they are involved in every sport imaginable. The reason Ty and Matchbox stay connected with Our Military Kids is the obvious impact of the program. Ty stated that he “loves hearing about what the military kids get involved in and enjoys receiving the handwritten cards and pictures.” Our Military Kids believes it is important to make a connection between our supporters and grant recipients, so the donor sees the difference and impact of their contribution. Thank you, Matchbox Food Group for making a difference!