(Tupelo, Miss.) As almost half of the state’s National Guard soldiers prepare to deploy to Kuwait, the children they leave behind will face unique stressors during the year-long separation. A national non-profit, Our Military Kids, is hoping to ease their anxiety by paying for extracurricular activities while their parents are overseas.
Our Military Kids provides grants for activities to children of National Guard and Reservists who are deployed overseas, as well as children of severely injured in all branches. The purpose of the grants – which can cover up to six months of activities per deployment – is to help children cope with the anxiety and other challenges associated with a lengthy separation from their parents.
This spring, Mississippi will send more than 4,200 soldiers from the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield. This will be the unit’s third deployment to the Middle East since 9/11. Many of these families will suffer financial hardships when moving from civilian pay to active duty pay. Yet staying involved in activities – which can be costly – is essential for children’s mental health during the difficult time of deployment.
According to a report by the RAND Corporation, older boys and girls of all ages with a deployed parent had significantly more problems with school, family and peers than do children the same age in the general U.S. population. Longer deployments were associated with more problems.
Our Military Kids was founded after 9/11 as a way to thank the families of Guard and Reservists who were called on for repeated, lengthy deployments. Co-founder Linda Davidson wanted the children of deployed soldiers to have access to activities that would keep them engaged while their parents were deployed. Most of the Guard and Reserve families aren’t located in military communities, so many of these children are isolated in their experience.
Since its founding in 2004, Our Military Kids has awarded almost $25 million in grants. That number includes more than 1,500 grants to children throughout Mississippi for activities such as martial arts, youth rodeo, hockey, tennis and singing camp.
In anticipation of the large number of children who will be affected by this upcoming deployment, Our Military Kids is increasing its outreach efforts to make sure all eligible children receive a grant. “This can be a really tough time for children,” said Davidson. “We want these kids to stay active and explore new challenges. And the best news is that these grants help the entire family.”
In surveys of past grant recipients, 97 percent of families saw improvement in the entire family’s well-being as a result of the extra-curricular activities. Many children credit these grants for keeping them focused while their parents were away.
Support the Mississippi Deployment
Our Military Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing substantial support to children of deployed National Guard and Military Reserve service members and to children of wounded warriors from all active and reserve military branches. For more information, visit www.ourmilitarykids.org or call Gretchen Hitchner at (703) 734-6654.
McLean, Virginia – A Raytheon grant awarded to Our Military Kids will pay for science, technology, engineering and math programs for children whose parents were severely injured during military service, deployed overseas or are in the National Guard or Military Reserves. This effort will boost the mission of Our Military Kids to fund after-school enrichment activities for youth and inspire them to pursue STEM careers.
“This is a wonderful effort that will enrich the lives of our military families and inspire students to pursue careers in STEM,” said Linda Davidson, founder of Our Military Kids. The grant will provide up to $500 per child to take classes in subjects like lego robotics, computer science, engineering and math.
Nearly two million American children have a parent serving in the military, and these youngsters face special challenges growing up. The grant will benefit children in Colorado Springs, CO, Fort Walton Beach, FL, Hampton, VA, Huntsville, AL and the Greater Washington, DC area.
“Raytheon is committed to supporting military families by delivering opportunities that ease some of the challenges that come with military commitment,” said Pam Erickson, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Raytheon. “Teaming with the Our Military Kids organization will directly impact the day-to-day experiences of military kids across the country by opening up new possibilities for learning and play – the building blocks of confidence, self esteem and teamwork.”
Launched in 2004, Our Military Kids was started by Davidson as a way to say thank you to families of Guard and Reserve personnel who endured lengthy and repeated deployments. In 2008, the group expanded to include children of severely injured service members. Since its inception, Our Military Kids has provided almost 60,000 grants.
Our Military Kids has helped kids across the country engage in a wide range of STEM activities – from sea camp at the Texas State Aquarium to flight school with the Colorado Civil Air patrol. Last year, Our Military Kids provided Michigan high schooler Paul Kovacic a grant to travel with his robotics team to St. Louis, MO, where they won the semi-world championship of the international high school robotics competition. The grant enabled Kovacic – whose father was deployed to the Middle East – to pursue an activity that kept him engaged after school. Kovacic now is studying mechanical engineering at Michigan Tech University on an academic scholarship.
“These kids deserve extra support,” Davidson said. “We can help them ease the stress and anxiety of having a parent deployed to a war zone through positive, structured activities.” Our Military Kids provides eligible children up to $500 per grant for each deployment lasting at least 180 days. For more information, visit the website at www.ourmilitarykids.org.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Follow us on Twitter.
About Out Military Kids
Our Military Kids, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit providing substantial support to children of deployed National Guard and Military Reserve service members and to children of wounded warriors from all active and reserve military branches.