McLean, VA (November 11, 2020) 一 On July 14, 2020, Our Military Kids launched its COVID-19 response campaign, HONOR120, in recognition of the additional stress on military children, uncertainty of online learning, and impact on communities brought about by the current global health crisis.

For the 120 days from July 14 until Veterans Day 2020, the HONOR120 program modified the existing Our Military Kids activity grant requirements to provide an additional grant for up to $300 per eligible child to the children of deployed National Guard and Reserve service members and those of Veterans recovering from severe combat-related injuries sustained overseas.

HONOR120 also opened grant applications to three-and-four-year-olds and, for the first time in Our Military Kids’ 16-year history, extended its grant program to include children of stateside-activated National Guard and Reserve service members who were activated in support of COVID-19 and Southwest Border Missions.

In those 120 days alone, Our Military Kids awarded more than 2,570 extracurricular activity grants worth more than $733,457 to the children of deployed, activated, and recovering service members representing every branch of the U.S. military from all 50 states and three territories.

These additional opportunities for activity grants has a significant impact on military families. The Gliot family shared that the start of SSG Richard Gliot’s 400-day deployment with the Army National Guard came just one month before COVID-19 hit, magnifying the challenges for his wife Karen and their 6-year-old daughter, Everly. Karen expressed the isolation and longing she felt as she and Everly faced quarantine on their own when other families were able to face this challenge together.

Everly already suffered from PTSD and anxiety due to extensive medical procedures for ongoing health issues since early childhood, and the absence of her father during the pandemic only added to the family’s stress. Fortunately, an Our Military Kids grant allowed Everly to continue with her equine therapy that worked wonders to alleviate her anxiety and brought peace of mind to the entire family. Watch their full story HERE.

HONOR120 was made possible thanks to the generosity of Our Military Kids’ supporters, from longtime contributors to new donors. To learn more, please visit https://www.ourmilitarykids.org.

About Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids, Inc. supports military children (ages 3 – 12th grade) by funding sports, arts, and other enrichment activities when their parents are deployed overseas with the National Guard or Reserve or recovering from severe injuries sustained in a post-9/11 overseas mission. Participation in these activities helps military children cope with stress and build self-confidence during an otherwise difficult time in their lives. For more information, please visit www.ourmilitarykids.org or contact Michelle Criqui at mccriqui@ourmilitarykids.org.

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