William T. Sherman once said “War is hell,” and no one knows that better than a military brat. The first time my dad deployed, I was just an infant. My mother had given me a picture keychain that I carried everywhere. I had grown so attached to the photo, and I made sure to show everyone my “Daddy.” When he returned, I ran towards him at the gate. But when he knelt down to give me a hug, I ran away and hid behind my mom. I had only ever known him as a picture. Daddy didn’t move in the photo so seeing him kneel down scared me and, quite frankly, broke his heart. It took quite a while for me to get used to him being around again   We managed to get through the rest of the nineties aside from a few trips to Bosnia.  When 2001 rolled around, I knew that I was going to have to “share” him again and I was far from ready. He left for Afghanistan the day after my 12th birthday. I was such a mess that I broke out in hives for nearly a week.   During that time, I had morphed into my mom’s right hand gal and a third parent of sorts. I didn’t have much of an interest in who was “going out” with who or watching Spongebob Squarepants. Instead, I spent a lot of time keeping my mom up to date on the family’s schedule, doing chores, making sure my little brother did his chores, and cooking dinner. We got one 15 minute call a week – yes, that was 15 minutes to split between 3 people. There was no skyping, and email wasn’t quite set up yet. We also weren’t allowed to know where my father was stationed. All I knew was an area on the map with a bunch of countries I couldn’t pronounce. Every time I saw a plane crash or attack on the news, my stomach would turn. The best thing I could do was bury my head in books and homework.   By the time my dad’s second trip rolled around, I was so sure that I had everything under control. But I quickly learned that I definitely did not. Between juggling bullies, standardized tests, and a pretty stressful day-to-day routine, I started having panic attacks and anxiety issues. And after the first one, panic attacks became a constant thing. I was almost always on edge.   A lot of my memories from 2003-2006 are pretty much a blur. My father deployed a total of 8 times in 4 years. During that time, he missed quite a bit – my transition into high school, ball games/competitions, my first formal, my first heartache, etc.   I guess what I’m trying to get across is that this life is A LOT harder than it looks. But it won’t always be like this. My family is extremely close now. My brother is my best friend, I call my parents at least 3 times a week, and we do as much bonding as we can now that we actually have a chance. Ever since his retirement, my dad has spent every moment he can with me. And for every memory he had to miss, there are now several other memories to make up for it. Sure, I could’ve wallowed in self-pity and acted out at the time but I didn’t. I chose to use it as motivation and I would like to encourage those of you with deployed parents to do the same. Take it one trip at a time, and just remember that seeing your parent on that flightline or in that airport is totally worth it.   -Leah Courtney, Military Brat

Schlotterbeck & Foss donated to Our Military Kids. “We discovered Military Kids when looking through Charity  Navigator for  highly ranked charities.  For us that translates to being a fiscally responsible organization that utilizes the greatest possible percentage of dollars raised to benefit the target group served,” said Paul Dioli, CEO of Schlotterbeck & Foss.  Schlotterbeck & Foss was founded in Portland, Maine in 1866. The company originated as a prescription apothecary shop and has evolved with technology to become the wonderful fresh sauce/dressing company it is today. Their sauces range from a Bacon Jam to Decadent Fudge. They have you covered from the appetizer to dessert.  Through this generous donation, Our Military Kids will be able to help at least 10 more kids find their passion in extracurricular activities.  “We (Schlotterbeck & Foss) opt to contribute during the December holidays to Our Military Kids.  We feel really great about spending money on an organization that does so much for such an underserved group.  We share this with our customers and business partners in lieu of mailing a holiday card.  Each year we receive feedback about individuals who have been equally touched by the donation to your organization that we have made, because of their connection to someone in the military.  We view this as a double win.    You really are providing such a tremendous service for people who we owe so much to.  We are grateful every day to live in a country that allows us choice and freedom and where we know there are people who have our backs, there to respond first when unexpected threats arise,” Paul proclaimed.  Our Military Kids is very thankful for partnerships like this one that allow us to serve more families. Our families sacrifice more than most people realize, and the Our Military Kids grant program provides a tangible way to show our appreciation and give back to them.

Robotics is a growing interest of today’s kids. The idea that one can create an object to move and function like a human is fascinating. Daniel is one of the many people today fascinated with Robotics. Daniel is 10 years old and started enjoying Robotics during his 2015 summer camp. Now he competes at Robotics competitions in Texas. Daniel’s dad was injured in Afghanistan in 2010 when his Army National Guard unit was called up. Our grant not only helped connect Daniel to Robotics, it also helped connect his younger sister, Morgan to dance. Morgan is 8 years old and enjoys learning dance at her school. She started when she was 3. “For Morgan, when her dad was injured, it was a tough time. Having a dance class to look forward to and to have special time was very important,” reflected her mother, Tiffany. The grants helped the kids during a stressful time, and the award packet was another enjoyment for the kids. “The packet that the kids receive has been a big (morale) boost as well,” explained Tiffany. The award packets are Top-Secret and include goodies for kids to show support of their military parent. The packets also honor them for serving next to their mom or dad.  

It is often said that it is better to give than to receive. This holiday season, Our Military Kids was fortunate to do both. In the giving department, we were able to distribute over $111,000 through 263 grants to children in 40 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Our most popular activities this month, per usual, were Martial Arts, Dance and Gymnastics. Thanks to our generous donors, we continued to give out additional grants for STEM activities, which, for the first time ever, became our most popular activity outside of our regular top three. As we close out 2015, we are proud to report that Our Military Kids has given out over $1.5million through 3,558 grants, both increases from the previous year. As we look ahead to 2016, we hope to continue this growth and to continue to approve every eligible application. In addition to this giving, we are so thankful for all that we have received. Our donors make this program possible, and in December, we had more donors than at any other time during the year. It is this spirit of giving that has allowed Our Military Kids to continue giving out grants to those who both need and deserve them. We have also received great support and joy from our families. Working with our families- hearing their stories and seeing their children’s growth- is why we do what we do. We received many Christmas cards with updates on how families are enjoying their activities. It truly is better to give than to receive, but we cannot do one without the other. Thank you to everyone who made this year a success and here’s to an even better 2016. Happy New Year!   -Katherine Spinney

2016 is a brand new year to celebrate the best moments with friends and family. One way my family and I are making 2016 better even though we are so far away from each other is writing our best memories on a piece of paper and putting them in a mason jar. Everyone in the family has their own mason jar to decorate how they like (some are leaving their jars plain and letting the memories speak for themselves.) Personally, I decorated mine with ribbon and put index cards in everyone’s to set ideas/guidelines for how to use the jars. You can have your card say what ever you would like it to! I also put a list of things I hope to accomplish or am looking forward to in 2016 on the back. (16 things to be exact!)   Doing this as a family will help keep the optimism and fun throughout the whole year!   What you will need:

1. A jar, I like to use Mason Jars
2. A small notepad to place memories on
3. Colorful pens or stickers! (This is just a fun suggestion)
4. Decorating supplies such as ribbon or glass pens
5. A year full of memories to place in your jar

    We cannot wait to see your jars and hear some of the memories you share! This is a great way to keep memories to share during a deployment while a parent is recovering from a severe injury. Focus on the good things that are happening rather than the stressful moments in life.   x0x AnnaMaria