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Former OMK Kid of the Year takes aim at sports TV

By Judy McSpadden

Seven years ago, John Stefan Jenkins was one of the first Our Military Kids grant recipients to receive the title, “Our Military Kid of the Year.” At age 17, this former resident of Jamaica, New York, was recognized for stepping up to support his family and give back to his community, while his dad, an Army National Guardsman, was deployed to Kuwait.

“I remember John well,” said Linda Davidson, OMK’s executive director. “He was so personable and positive. He loved sports — he volunteered coaching youth basketball. He also volunteered at his church and served in a community service group called the Young Men’s Alliance of Queens.”

Davidson wasn’t the only one impressed with him. When Jenkins came to Washington D.C. to accept his award, the former chairman of OMK’s board of directors, Fred Smith, also saw something special in this high school senior, who was dressed in a suit purchased by members of his church. Davidson recalled, “Jenkins hadn’t come from a privileged background, yet Fred saw that he had a special drive to do something big in his life.”

Jenkins recalled the days before he received his OMK grant: “It was my senior year, and I was on the basketball team. I thought my dad would be at my games. But Dad wanted to take us out to dinner one night. Then he announced that he was going on his third deployment.”

Jenkins, who resists negative conversation, admitted, “When Dad told us about the deployment, it was tough, you know? I mean, I appreciate people who put their lives on the line, but he had already deployed twice. The first time, I was in junior high school. Then he left again when I was a freshman in high school. I was trying to adjust.”

After departing for Kuwait, his dad emailed a suggestion that Jenkins apply for a grant from Our Military Kids, but Jenkins didn’t know which activity to sign up for. “I had all these things I was interested in,” he said. “I was really good at sports, and I had a passion for writing – I was writing for the school newspaper, but there was some other hole I needed to fill.”

Since he was close to his cousins, who had just moved back to New York, he and his brother decided to use the grant to join them in taking hip-hop dancing. Having fun with family was just what he needed. “We added hip-hop to the cousin resume of fun things to do,” he laughed.

During his dad’s deployment, Jenkins worked hard to raise his grades in school. He was eventually recognized as the senior with the most improved grade point average.

He said, “A lot of young men my age were not making good decisions.” These words echoed similar ones that he had included on his OMK application in 2010, when he added, “I have decided, however, that I am not going to let my surroundings define me. I am determined to be successful.”

Jenkins went on to Delaware State University, where he majored in Mass Communications with a concentration in “Convergence Journalism,” a combination of TV, radio and film studies. He wrote for the college newspaper, worked in sports journalism, and even hosted his own radio program (with a light-hearted “comedic” approach). His dad went on a fourth deployment his senior year in college, but, Jenkins gladly added, “He did come back for my graduation.”

After college, Jenkins got a call from ESPN headquarters in Connecticut. He was selected for a one-year associate’s program working behind the scenes, collecting sports highlights for the on-air talent to discuss.

“It was real cool,” he said. “You’re working on something, and 20 minutes later, it’s on TV. I’ll never forget my first highlight. It was a women’s softball game, Kentucky vs. Tennessee.”

Next, Jenkins landed a job doing social media for the National Basketball Association. “We cut plays from games and focus on the best plays of the week.”

Jenkins, who married last December, lives in Brooklyn. He said he plans to “feed my on-air ambitions.” Given his drive, he’ll likely do that, and Our Military Kids will see one of its stars sharing his love of sports on national television.

 

(Please mail comments to JSMcSpadden@ourmilitarykids.org.)

By Judy McSpadden

We often read stories about people from different walks of life doing good works for others:  A soldier sacrifices for his country in a hazardous place. A mother adopts a homeless child. A teacher gives his students new skills and confidence.

It isn’t often that these stories converge as they did for Heavenly and Honesty, the last two daughters adopted by Lt. Col. Bruce and Cindy Brewer.

Bruce and Cindy, married 28 years, have 11 children – six biological sons and five adopted, multiracial daughters. Given the unusual number of children they have and the fact that Cindy and Bruce (a National Guard chaplain for 25 years) both have

The Brewers with 7 of their 11 children

doctoral degrees, one can imagine the interesting stories that could come from a family like this. In fact, a quick Google search turns up several articles about them with little effort.

At Our Military Kids, we’ll start the story with recent history. This coming Easter will mark the fourth anniversary of the adoption of Heavenly, age 10, and Honesty, age 12  — two kids who, along with five of their siblings, received OMK grants for activities. Like much about the Brewer family, this adoption happened in an unusual way. Utah law requires that children be placed in their new family’s custody for six months before the adoption can be finalized. Unfortunately, Bruce was scheduled to deploy to the Middle East with the National Guard just six weeks after Heavenly and Honesty joined the household.

“It was incredibly difficult,” said Cindy, who had already experienced the adoption process with their three youngest daughters

“There’s a lot of newness and fear for a child being adopted. Add to that the fact that Daddy is gone overseas, and Mom’s exhausted.”

Heavenly and Honesty’s case was unique in other ways, as well. Cindy and Bruce had considered adopting them seven years ago, when they were ages 2 and 4, but the adoption didn’t work out. Cindy said it was heartbreaking, but she had to move on without them. Then, three years later, the agency called again, and the girls eventually came back into their lives.

“Nothing about their lives had been stable,” said Cindy. “They had moved from place to place, school to school, always leaving their friends and toys behind.”

But the Brewers are “can-do” people, who appear to be used to taking on tough challenges. On the day when the adoption would be finalized in court, Cindy and the seven kids still living at home made their way to the court house, where they used an internet video chat to call Bruce at his deployed location. The proceedings were conducted online.

Once ensconced in their new lives, Heavenly and Honesty received their grants from OMK. Bruce, who has deployed several times totaling four years, said, “I can’t thank the OMK program enough for the amazing support given while I was deployed. Heavenly and Honesty had come from disadvantaged backgrounds; they had never been exposed to any extracurricular activities in their lifetimes. However, when my kids were involved in the OMK program, they had lots to look forward to and they developed new talents and interests that continue to this day.”

Cindy enrolled the two girls into an all-sports camp that would expose them to a variety of athletics. She said it was a real success.

“The grant provided something we couldn’t afford, especially after paying for adoption. The girls were able to achieve and learn things they had never done. They got to connect with responsible adult role models. They were doing something they could be proud of and tell Daddy about over the phone.”

As Easter approaches, the Brewers are residing on an Army post away from Utah for the first time. Bruce, a part-time Guardsman for most of his career, has accepted a full-time, 4-year, chaplain position with the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

According to Cindy, the kids love living on the post. Noting the multicultural nature of their neighborhood and the fact that there are lots of children to play with, she said, “This neighborhood is fabulous for my girls.”

International Women’s Day was recently celebrated to globally commemorate achievements of women. At OMK, it’s a good time to also recognize Heavenly and Honesty, these international daughters who have flourished when given attention, care and opportunity.

By Judy McSpadden

Out of the 56,000 activity grants that Our Military Kids awarded over the last 12 years, a handful stand out because of the unusual nature of the activities themselves. Running your finger down OMK’s list of kids in martial arts, ballet, or piano lessons, you might stop suddenly and shake your head… “Beekeeping? Really?”

Other OMK grant activities prove that kids with military parents don’t necessarily share the same interests. OMK has given grants for falconry, glass blowing, and even competitive jump roping. (You should have seen Zuzanna, the jump roper, perform at the OMK benefit last April. She was amazing!)

In between the extremely unusual and the extremely popular are activities like surfing, a combination recreational activity and competitive sport for which OMK has awarded barely over a dozen grants in its dozen years. Out of the few surfing grant recipients, one military kid in particular stands out, or should we say “pops up” above the rest.

Samantha Sibley, age 14, was 9 when her dad deployed to Iraq for over a year. She decided to use her OMK grant to try something new. “I chose to learn how to surf because my dad really liked it, and I was interested in learning how,” she said. “I wanted to surprise him when he got back, and I ended up loving it and sticking with it.”

Samantha Sibley

Not only has she stuck with it, Sammy is on the USA surf team training to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Sammy’s dad, who learned how to surf as a kid, enjoyed hitting the waves when the family was stationed at Wheeler Army Post, Hawaii, where he flew Army helicopters. When the family moved to California, and her dad joined the Army National Guard, Sammy took her first surf lesson at a surfing camp at Camp Pendleton.

Always active as a child, Sammy played outdoor games, built treehouses with her little brother, and played in sports, but surfing was different in an exciting way. “It’s not like other sports; the waves control you. It all depends on what the ocean does,” she said. “And it’s addictive. Once you get a good wave, you want to go out for more.”

The International Surfing Association reports there are 20-25 million surfers worldwide. Athletes participate for the sport of it, but for other reasons too. “You’re one with nature out there,” Sammy said, describing the beauty of the water. “I might see a dolphin go by, and I think how lucky I am. I want to yell to the dolphin, ‘Thanks for sharing the ocean with me!’”

After her introduction to surfing at Camp Pendleton, Sammy took lessons. She practiced every day and began competing in local contests within different associations. She surfed under the World Surf League, the National Scholastic Surf Association and Surfing America. She even worked a photo shoot for Waterways Travel Resorts in Indonesia last April.

How does this traveling surfer manage time for school?

As a freshman in high school, she attends virtual home school. That has allowed her to travel to Barbados, Hawaii, and Central America. This month, she’ll compete in a Junior Pro contest in Florida against the best surfers in the country. Next summer, she’ll travel to Australia.

Living in San Clemente, Calif., Sammy walks a half-mile to the beach every day. “I go out even if it’s cold,” she said.

Usually accompanied by her mom — who videos her progress during practice — or her surfing friends, Sammy has become a respected member of the surfing community, a subculture with its own lingo and lifestyle.

Her goal is to be a pro surfer and perhaps enter the field of sports marketing. For now, this junior pro, who has won state and national titles, is focused on participating in the 2020 Olympics and competing as an adult contender in 2024.

Was her dad proud of her when he returned from his deployment?

“My dad is super proud of me,” she said. “My parents support me so much, and I know they are thankful I was able to get that grant when I was 9.”

OMK is proud of her too — wishing Sammy a smooth ride to the Olympics…with plenty of epic surf.