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OMK Board of Directors Elects New Members

May 16, 2018

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McLean, Virginia – A national nonprofit that supports military children has elected two new members to its Board of Directors, as well as a new Chairman, as the group heads into its 15th year providing grants to military kids of parents recovering from combat-related injuries or kids whose parents are deployed overseas with the National Guard and Reserves.

Based in McLean, VA, but serving children throughout the United States, Our Military Kids was founded in 2004 to help children of deployed Guard and Reservists manage the challenges that arise when a parent is deployed to a war zone. Ten years ago, Our Military Kids expanded its mission to include children of severely injured service members from all branches.

By providing grants for extracurricular activities, Our Military Kids offers children an opportunity to discover new talents, empower themselves and create positive memories during a difficult time in their lives.

The newest members of the board, Rebecca Singhavong and Jonathan “Jack” Harrington, each bring to the board a unique passion for the mission of Our Military Kids, said Barry Miller, the newest Chairman of the Board. Singhavong, an accomplished financial leader with public accounting and corporate experience, comes from the Advisory Board for Our Military Kids. As the Vice President of Finance at the ViON Corporation in Herndon, Virginia, Singhavong has a proven track record of creating and implementing financial controls, transforming business operations to drive growth, and staff development. She hopes to translate her leadership skills at ViON to strategic fundraising in order to increase the number of grants awarded to military kids. “I want to engage our donors and promote awareness about why we should support military kids,” Singhavong said.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland University College majoring in Accounting and expects to complete her MBA degree in Executive Leadership from James Madison University in December 2018.

Harrington, Counsel at Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP in Ronkonkoma, NY is also a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Harrington chairs the International Regulation, Enforcement & Compliance and Cybersecurity practice groups at CMM. In addition to his legal practice, Harrington is a recognized national security expert with broad experience across the government, academic, and consulting sectors.

Harrington knows firsthand the isolation that families of Guard and Reserve experience when a parent is deployed. He hopes to expand the network of support for Our Military Kids.

A resident of Stony Brook, New York, Harrington is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of International Law. Harrington is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

Miller, who served on the Board of Director’s for two years before becoming its newest Chairman, said he hopes that Harrington’s military leadership and Singhavong’s fundraising skills will help the nonprofit develop additional community partnerships to benefit military children.

Last year, Our Military Kids received slightly more than $2 million in donations, and 92% of those donations were spent directly on children’s programs. As a result, 3,767 grants were awarded to military kids in 2017, with sports and arts activities the most popular choices.

In the most recent survey of families who received grants for activities, almost all respondents said the grants improved the entire family’s well-being, as well as decreased their child’s stress and anxiety. For more information, visit www.ourmilitarykids.org

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