April is Month of the Military Child

Community events honor military kids

Media Contacts: J. Scott Enroughty, 919.515.8500 or scott_enroughty@ncsu.edu, N.C. OMK project coordinator for N.C. 4-H
Dr. Harriett Edwards, North Carolina 4-H military liaison, 919.515.9548 or harriett_edwards@ncsu.edu
Darrin Allen, National Operation: Military Kids coordinator, 703.472.2290 or darrin.w.allen.civ@mail.mil

April is the Month of the Military Child, a time to recognize the sacrifices made by military families and their children. A number of events are scheduled across the state to honor military youth.

Children whose parents have been deployed live with uncertainty and concern for their parents on a daily basis. Many families learn to be flexible, but long deployments can be difficult for military children. In the nine years since the war began in Iraq, many children have seen their parents leave home more than once.

“Military children look the same to teachers, friends and the community after a parent deploys, but their lives have changed dramatically,” said Dr. Harriett C. Edwards, North Carolina Cooperative Extension State 4-H military liaison. “We want to help them connect with other youth in similar situations and to use the Operation: Military Kids initiative as a way to link up with other youth in the community.”

Operation: Military Kids is a national effort to support children of deployed soldiers from all branches of the military including National Guard and Reserve. Activities for military kids are ongoing all year and throughout North Carolina.

In support of children whose parents are serving in the military, North Carolina is part of Operation: Military Kids, an effort sponsored by Army Child, Youth and School Services in collaboration with National 4-H Headquarters, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, American Legion, Military Child Education Coalition, National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and other state and local organizations to help military children meet others like themselves.

Special Events for N.C.’s Month of the Military Child
April 13 – Purple Up! For Military Kids, State of North Carolina, all day
Show support for military youth on April 13 by wearing purple as a sign of thanks for their sacrifices.
April 18 – John Griffin Middle School’s Parent Pirate Night, focusing on Month of the Military Child, Fayetteville, 6-9 p.m.
April 21 – Second Annual Celebration of the Military Child, Pinehurst Arboretum, Pinehurst, 12-3 p.m.
April 21 – Month of the Military Child Expo, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.
April 21 – Children’s Fest, Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.
April 28 – N.C. State University and N.C. OMK’s Military Appreciation Day Baseball game, Raleigh (Doak Field, N.C. State University) 5-11 p.m.
Military equipment will be on display. Service members can get in free with an ID; spouses or family member with a service member can attend for $3. Those 17 and under are free.
For more information, contact Scott Enroughty 919.515.8500 or scott_enroughty@ncsu.edu
April 30 – N.C. Operation: Military Kids Visual Arts Contest; artwork due in state N.C. OMK office.
Artwork in various media will be judged and displayed at various events across the state. For information on the contest, visit the N.C. OMK website.
For questions, contact Scott Enroughty 919.515.8500 or scott_enroughty@ncsu.edu

The North Carolina National Guard Family Programs have created sample certificates that can be presented to military youth during Month of the Military Child celebrations. Sample certificates can be found at www.nc.ngb.army.mil/index.php/fp/momc.

Operation: Military Kids North Carolina is an effort of North Carolina 4-H, N.C. Cooperative Extension’s youth development program. N.C. OMK is funded by the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project (Award #2007-48661-03868), a partnership of Army Child, Youth and School Services and National 4-H Headquarters/U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For more information about Operation: Military Kids in North Carolina see www.operationmilitarykids.org.

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