Our Military Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports children (ages 5 – 12th grade) of deployed National Guard and Reserve service members, as well as those of wounded veterans from all service branches, with grants that provide up to $300 for a chosen activity. Participation in these extracurricular activities has proven to help military children cope with stress and anxiety, as well as foster a sense of self-confidence, while their parents are recovering or serving overseas.
Our Military Kids grants pay fees for athletic, fine arts, and tutoring programs. Events that are not eligible include child care, school tuition, and religious trips.
Since its founding in 2004, Our Military Kids has given out $26 million, through 65,000 grants, to military children in all U.S. states and territories.
Annual surveys consistently show nearly 100% of grant recipient families are satisfied with our programs. Children’s mental health and academic performance improve. Respondents also note improvements in family well-being, service member morale, and veteran recovery time.
Our Military Kids is currently gathering more data to determine long-term impacts for grant recipients and their families.
In early 2005, we started small, with a pilot program focused on a National Guard unit from Winchester, Va. The pilot program was extremely successful, and we expanded to help all deployed Reserve and National Guard families living throughout Virginia.
Calls from deploying citizen soldiers were sometimes heartbreaking. Feeling the need to help more children cope with the challenges brought on by lengthy separations, we began covering families living in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
In 2008, Our Military Kids expanded its program once again, this time to include children of active-duty, reserve, and National Guard service members who were severely injured in combat, and whose families were struggling to deal with financial and emotional hardships.
Today, Our Military Kids, is a national organization. With the help of generous donors and volunteers, we have empowered more than 65,000 children.
A military family applies to Our Military Kids and waits to see if they’re eligible.
If eligible, a check is sent to the activity the military family chooses.
The child receives the grant and has fun doing something they love.
Our Military Kids has never turned away an eligible family.
Rob Clapper, Executive Director
On October 1st, 2018, Rob Clapper assumed the role of Executive Director of Our Military Kids. In this capacity Rob will be directly responsible for successfully creating, leading and implementing an integrated resource development strategy and developing new relationships, while maintaining existing relationships to build Our Military Kid’s visibility, growing impact, and financial resources.
Prior to joining Our Military Kids, Rob co-founded and served as the Founding Executive Director for Your Grateful Nation and also served as the Chief Development Officer for Hope For The Warriors. Both organizations were committed to making a difference for service members and their families. Prior to his time at Your Grateful Nation and Hope for the Warriors, Rob successfully ran several nonprofits and was a tireless advocate for veteran’s issues at the state and federal level.
Upon his graduation and commissioning from the Citadel in 1996, Rob began an Army career that ultimately led to service with some of the nation’s most elite special operations units. His short but distinguished career included numerous deployments around the world and in the Middle East. In 2005, Rob was recognized by the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army with the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for outstanding and unparalleled leadership throughout his Army career, an honor that distinguished him from more than 35,000 Army officers. Rob also was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for rescue operations during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.
Rob currently resides in Vienna, VA with his wife Debbie, their six kids, and his service dog Gunner.
Michelle L. Nelson, Director of Family Programs
Michelle Nelson serves as Director, Family Programs and Community Relations of Our Military Kids, Inc. In this position, Ms. Nelson serves as the point of contact for the families of the deployed National Guard and Reserves and as the interface with the military.
Michelle’s responsibilities include raising awareness and support in the local communities from which the National Guard and Reserve units are deployed.
Ms. Nelson has firsthand knowledge of the challenges families face when a unit is deployed; she was extremely effective in her role as Family Readiness Group leader for her husband’s National Guard unit which was deployed to Afghanistan. In addition to working with the unit’s families, Michelle mobilized local community support by utilizing the news media to keep the community informed as to the needs of the families and the well-being of the troops. Ms. Nelson was an effective fundraiser, developing and implementing a plan that engaged support from the local business community.
Ms. Nelson holds a BA in Russian Studies/Russian Language from Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan.
Michelle Tran, Manager of Business Processes & Program Administrator
Michelle Tran is the Manager of Business Processes & Program Administrator. She is responsible for receiving and reviewing all grant applications as well as coordinating special events for local D.C. metropolitan area military families.
Prior to working at Our Military Kids, Inc., Michelle worked in the hospitality industry for Hilton Hotels and for a hospitality software company. Growing up, she was extremely active in many extracurricular activities including ballet, gymnastics, piano, basketball, and softball. In college Michelle continued to participate in sports and served as a mentor to several kindergartners. She recognizes the positive difference that extracurricular activities and tutoring programs can make to a child.
Michelle grew up in Chantilly, Virginia. She holds a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Virginia Tech.
Gretchen Hitchner, Communications Director
Gretchen Hitchner serves as our Communications Director. She previously worked as a press secretary on Capitol Hill and spent close to a decade as a small business owner. Working at Our Military Kids seemed like a homecoming of sorts, since she grew up as a military child. Her father’s service in the U.S. Navy took the family throughout the United States and abroad, including four years in Naples, Italy, where she attended a DOD high school and made lifelong friendships with other military kids. Gretchen and her husband, a retired Marine who now works as a civilian for the U.S. Navy, have two children and a lovable yellow Lab.
Leslie Mazeska, Senior Grants Manager
Leslie Mazeska serves as the Senior Grants Manager in the Development office at Our Military Kids. Leslie has nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, where she has worked extensively in fundraising and development as well as non-profit management.
After leading two small, local non-profits in Loudoun County, VA, she is happy to be working with Our Military Kids to support a national organization whose mission is particularly meaningful to her, as her husband is a disabled Marine Corps veteran.
Leslie holds a degree in Psychology and Business from Ithaca College and earned her Master’s Degree in School Counseling from the University of Delaware. She lives in Waterford, VA with her husband, their three children, and a host of animals, including two dogs, a pet pig, 9 hens and a rooster.
Michelle Criqui, Social Media Manager
Michelle “Chelly” Criqui is the social media manager and website administrator for Our Military Kids. She is a military kid herself, the daughter of an Army National Guardsman, and received an Our Military Kids grant to row on her high school’s crew team while her father was deployed to Kosovo in 2013.
Ms. Criqui graduated from James Madison University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She previously worked as Executive Editor of JMU’s award-winning yearbook, The Bluestone, and as a writer for Study Breaks Magazine.
Linda Davidson, Co-Founder
Linda M. Davidson co-founded Our Military Kids in 2004, in response to the September 11 attacks and the repeated, lengthy overseas deployments by members of the Army National Guard. What began as a pilot program with Virginia National Guard families quickly expanded to include deployed Reserve and Guard families throughout the United States. In 2008, as post-9/11 troops returned home with serious combat injuries, she expanded the program to include children of severely injured service members and veterans from all branches of service.
Without a military connection of her own, Davidson started the program in an effort to thank and acknowledge the American families who were fighting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was motivated by a quote from a service member who said, “Please don’t send cookies, care packages or socks. Just help take care of our children.” With this in mind, Davidson set out to help military kids manage a difficult time in their lives. In addition to receiving money for an activity of their choosing, the children also receive a letter thanking them for their service and a “Top Secret” packet of items to both recognize and help the children connect with their military parent. She knew that by helping the children, Our Military Kids would also benefit their deployed/injured parents. Davidson led the program for 15 years, providing military kids with 65,000 grants worth more than $25 million. She retired from Our Military Kids on December 31, 2018.
Prior to founding Our Military Kids, Inc., Ms. Davidson was Vice President of Administration & Finance for another non-profit serving military families.
Other previous work experience includes 19 years with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in their National Federal Marketing Contracts Department, Commission Accounting, and in Sales Administration servicing federal government customers. Prior to IBM, Ms. Davidson served as an accountant and membership campaign director for the Madison Chamber of Commerce in Madison, Wisconsin.
Ms. Davidson holds a degree in Accounting with additional studies from University of Wisconsin.
Mr. Barry Miller, Board Chair
Barry Miller is an independent management consultant based in Bethesda, MD. He has over 30 years’ experience in international cross-functional business consulting, with particular expertise in business strategy and strategic planning, operations and supply chain management, and private equity investment. Previously he was a senior consultant with Prism Consulting International of Bethesda and an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company in Amsterdam and Paris.
Mr. Miller served four years in the United States Army with assignments in Washington, D.C., Germany, and Italy, including as a platoon leader in the 1/509th Airborne Battalion Combat Team. He holds a degree in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College where he was a Tuck Scholar, and has studied at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of The McGee Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. He has been a member of the Princeton Alumni Schools Committee and serves as Class Co-Chair of the Parents Fund of St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C.
LTC Mark W. Brown, USA (Ret.)
Mr. Jonathan “Jack” Harrington, Esq.
Jonathan (Jack) Harrington is the Chair of the International Regulatory, Enforcement, and Compliance Practice Group and Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP in New York. Jack represents corporate clients in enforcement actions, internal investigations, international compliance matters, and complex commercial litigation, often with an international dimension. He is an expert in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, anti-money laundering enforcement, trade sanctions, and other cross-border business matters. He previously served as a Senior Associate at WilmerHale, LLP in Washington, D.C. and New York, where he counseled Fortune 100 companies in cross-border government investigations and Congressional inquiries, among other matters. Jack interned in the White House Counsel’s Office. He has also served as a legal fellow on the Senate Homeland Security Committee and an intern in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Jack is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Before his legal career, Jack was a counterterrorism and intelligence professional. Jack received his J.D. from the Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of International Law, co-Chair of Yale’s American Constitution Society’s National Security Committee, and a member of the Yale Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic. Jack holds a M.A. in International Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a B.A./M.A. in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Since 2008, Jack has been a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. He was born and raised on Long Island and is an active member of his community in Stony Brook, New York. He is a co-Founder of the Linda Ross-Harrington Foundation, a local education non-profit, and in 2017 was named one of Long Island Business News’ “40 under 40” to watch. He is married to his wife, Sarah, and is the proud father of two boys, Jack Jr. and Hayes.
Mr. Shawn M. Hendon
Shawn Hendon is a Managing Partner at Harewood Partners LLC, an investment management firm located in Bethesda, Maryland. Previous career experiences include Principal at Toray LLC; Founding Partner of Rockledge Partners; Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for Lockheed Martin Investment Company (1995-2003); and Director and Portfolio Manager for Martin Marietta Corporation (1979-1995).
Mr. Hendon is a Trustee of the Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, he is currently a member and previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., and is a Director of The Maurice W. Collins Scholarship Foundation in Rockville, Maryland. He serves as a member of the Finance Council of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Bethesda, Maryland and has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Academy of the Holy Cross, Kensington, Maryland. Mr. Hendon has been inducted into the Archbishop Carroll High School Hall of Honor, and has received the Youth Leadership award from the Collins Scholarship Foundation, and the Order of Merit from the Archdiocese of Washington.
Mr. Hendon has a BA from Georgetown University (1973), a MBA from George Washington University (1977), and holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst since 1983.
Lt. Gen. Charles L. ‘Chuck’ Johnson, USAF (Ret.)
Chuck Johnson is Vice President for Mobility, C3/Networks and Support Systems for Air Force Systems at The Boeing Company. Prior to joining Boeing in February, 2008, General Johnson served 36 years in the Air Force with his last assignment as Commander, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base.
Prior to this assignment, he commanded the Air Force’s largest Air Logistics/Maintenance Center where he institutionalized continuous process improvements resulting in winning all six major DOD and Air Force logistics/maintenance awards in the same year which had never before been accomplished. General Johnson is a command pilot and instructor and has logged more than 4,000 hours flying airlifters, tankers, bombers, AWACS and helicopters spanning from Vietnam to Iraq/Afghanistan.
General Johnson entered the Air Force in 1972 upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He earned a Master’s degree from George Washington University, and attended the Air Command and Staff College; Air War College in residence; and the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Study, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Ms. Laurelle Sheedy McCready
Laurelle Sheedy McCready serves as the Chief Financial Officer of The Lab School of Washington, the preeminent independent school in the Washington DC region for students with learning differences. In that role she drives financial sustainability, leads risk management, and visualizes, acquires and strengthens the technology and facilities infrastructure for an organization serving 375 students in 1st through 12th grades. Prior to Lab, Ms. McCready served in similar functions for National Presbyterian School and The National Presbyterian Church.
From 1997 to 2001 Ms. McCready opened, built, and managed an office of monster.com in New York City, focusing on mid-market recruitment, and executive search. In the 1990s she focused on not-for profit organizational capacity-building – leading global marketing for TechnoServe, an organization which works with individuals in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. She also served as Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro in Arusha, Tanzania. Prior to moving overseas, Ms. McCready was a corporate finance investment banking officer for two Wall Street firms, Blyth Eastman Dillon and Merrill Lynch Capital Markets.
At the beginning of her career Ms. McCready served on the White House staff as Staff Assistant to Presidents Nixon and Ford, as Assistant to Senator James L. Buckley (of New York) and earlier, as Staff Assistant to Congressman Ed Foreman (of New Mexico). Ms. McCready received a Master in Business Administration degree from Harvard and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stephens College. Among their children, she and her husband have three who are presently serving on active duty in the Air Force, Army and Coast Guard.
Mr. Benjamin Mednick
Ben Mednick, President of the East Coast Tile Group, is a third-generation owner of the largest independent importer of tile and stone products in the eastern United States. An active investor and entrepreneur, he also participates in businesses ranging from real estate to home furnishings.
From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Mednick acted as portfolio analyst for global real estate holdings on behalf of large pension and retirement funds at Jones Lang LaSalle. In addition, he has worked on behalf of private equity funds and family offices as analyst and consultant for small and medium-sized acquisition opportunities. Since 2006, he has focused on building his family firm which now comprises 30 retail locations, over 500 dealers and an extensive commercial specification footprint.
Mr. Mednick holds a B.A. with honors in Economics from the University of Chicago, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In addition, Mr. Mednick was a Fulbright Scholar from 2000-2001, working in Lisbon, Portugal with the Portuguese Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Thomas “Tom” Myrick, Esq.
Tom Myrick has a wide range of civil trial experience, including frequent appearances in
both state and federal trial and appellate courts, with particular experience in business
related litigation.
He has been first chair trial counsel through verdict in dozens of civil jury trials,
including trials that lasted up to four months. His practice has recently been focused on
handling significant commercial cases involving sophisticated damage theories.
Myrick also counsels clients engaged in complex business combinations on methods to
minimize their exposure to litigation. He speaks regularly to groups of trial attorneys
around the country about ongoing developments in the law. He has spoken to
audiences as far away as Japan where he addressed managing product liability issues
on behalf of a firm client whose product is distributed internationally.
Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, USA (Ret.)
Roger Schultz retired as a Lieutenant General October 2005, with 42 years and 9 months of service in the Army National Guard. He was called to active duty on three occasions. In 1968, he was mobilized with a Mechanized Infantry Battalion from Northwest Iowa. He led both a Rifle Platoon and a Scout Platoon in Vietnam. In 1997, he was called to serve as the Deputy Director of Army Operations. In 1998, he was selected to serve as the Director of the Army National Guard. His 7-year tour of duty as the Director of the Army National Guard places him as the longest serving director in the history of the National Guard.
Prior to this assignment, General Schultz served as the Deputy Adjutant General, Iowa National Guard, and as the Deputy Director for Military Support on the Department of the Army Staff. In that capacity, General Schultz was responsible for coordinating all Department of Defense military support to civilian authorities, to include disaster relief operations. Prior to duty in the Pentagon, Schultz served as the Operations Officer and Chief of Staff for the Iowa National Guard. He has 27 years of emergency management experience at the state and national level.
General Schultz assumed duties as Director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Washington, DC June 1, 1998. As Director, he was responsible for the formulation, development, and implementation of all programs and policies affecting the Army National Guard. In that capacity, he was responsible for an $11.7 billion budget. His active military service began in 1963. He served 4 years as an enlisted soldier, and he was commissioned an infantry officer following Officer Candidate School at the Iowa Military Academy.
Ms. Rebecca Singhavong
Rebecca Singhavong is an accomplished financial leader with public accounting and corporate experience. Proven track record includes creating and implementing financial controls, transforming business operations to drive growth, and staff development. She serves as a key member on the leadership team at ViON Corporation, as Vice President of Finance.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland University College, majoring in Accounting, and expects to complete a MBA degree in Executive Leadership from James Madison University in December 2018.
Also, she has demonstrated exemplary commitment to philanthropy and to the mission of Our Military Kids.
The Honorable G. Kim Wincup
Kim Wincup recently retired as Senior Vice President for Corporate Development with the Science Applications International Corporation. He also recently completed a term as Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board where he was a principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense.
From 1970 to 1973, Mr. Wincup served in the military as an Air Force Judge Advocate. He went on to hold the positions of Assistant General Counsel, then Counsel to the House Armed Services Committee in the U.S. Congress from 1974 to 1984. From 1984 to 1989, he served as Staff Director of the House Armed Services Committee. Mr. Wincup served as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs from 1989 to 1992, and was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition in 1992. In 1993, he served as Staff Director of the Congressional Joint Committee on the Reorganization of Congress.
Mr. Wincup holds a B.A. in Political Science from DePauw University and a law degree from the University of Illinois. He has served as a Visiting Professor of National Security Affairs to the Naval Postgraduate School and taught at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
Volunteers are the backbone of Our Military Kids. The hard work and commitment of our volunteers translates into more grant money available to children of deployed National Guardsmen and Reservists, as well as wounded veterans.
We are always looking for volunteers to help in several areas in our McLean, Virginia office. Opportunities include grant processing, development and fundraising, special events, marketing and public relations, graphics design, and general administration. If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, please contact OMKInquiry@ourmilitarykids.org or call (703) 734-6654.
If you are not in the McLean area, still feel free to contact us about ways to volunteer. We are a nationwide program.
Be the first to get updates straight to your inbox. Support us and look for opportunities to help.
