kathleen.weethepeoplepublishing.com

 I caught a great story on 9 news , about the groundbreaking for Matthew and his wife Tracy, a couple who are looking forward to a home that is accessible and comfortable. They found themselves needing such accommodations after  Matthew was shot while serving in Iraq. 

As we searched for organizations dedicated to serving military families, we were honored to find American Military Family. This was the first time we heard about this wonderful project to benefit Matthew and Tracy. I sent founder Debbie Quackenbush a copy of our book We Serve Too!-A Child’s Deployment Book and got a wonderful reception. They placed our book on their “kids making a difference” page. This group is just interested in providing whatever will help military families and are not caught up in getting the recognition.

This organization  cares for the troops in the field with their program of adopt -a- soldier,  find joy in providing new homes for wounded soldiers, and are available for military families in any kind of need. They have  a number of fundraising opportunities coming up : a spaghetti dinner on April 26th in Longmont to benefit a wounded local soldier, Hoedown for Heroes…their website is full of ways to help our military.

This group is energetic and passionate. Their website is one that all families and friends of the military should check out. Please consider supporting this group, getting involved, and in turn really offering help to the ones we are so grateful to-our military families!

www.AmericanMilitaryFamily.org

April; the month of the military child.

Celebrating the sacrifices of military children is a privledge.  This month I hope you will think of ways to show the military kids you know, or those that live near you, that you appreciate their service as they wait for their parents serving our country. As thousands of American troops continue to deploy to international assignments, they leave behind a population whose service to our country is largely ignored: their children.  In the newly released We Serve Too!—A Child’s Deployment Book, we have attempted to show both civilian and military populations the sacrifices made by children of military families, and encourage them to stand strong while they wait for the return of a parent.

I just wanted to make a few suggestions for the month. At Ft. Sill, they are taking children on an outing, and gifting them with their own copy of We Serve Too! -A Child’s Deployment Book. Many military installations around the country will recogize and honor their children this month. What can those of us who are civilians do? National Guard Children do not always have the support of the military community due to the fact they are often living in areas away from the military installation. These are children in our churches, neighborhoods, schools, who need to be recognized as they miss a precious parent.

 Send a card of appreciation, tell them you are there for them. Offer to help the remaining parent by taking the kids on a outing, to a movie or a dinner at McDonalds. Invite the family over for dinner, a BBQ, it is lonely to be a single parent, and lonely to be a child waiting. Show interest in the child’s school work, maybe they could use some help on their homework. If  a military child is a friend to your child, talk with your child about the sacrifices military families are making on the behalf of all of us, and include this friend in some of your family activities.

The military life is a calling, one that directly offers  us the freedoms we mostly take for granted.Think about that this month. Lets think of ways to honor these special children and their families. If you have ideas please comment and pass them on, we can brighten the days of our littlest heroes as they serve too!

I want to acquaint all of you to a wonderful project being newly set up in Colorado (it is a nationwide project). Operation Military kids is a program put together by the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, National 4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs, American Legion, the Military Child Education Coalition and several other supporters.

The goal of Operation Military Kids is very similar to our goal at Wee The People Publishing, to provide Military kids and families with resources that can make the difficult time of deployment easier, and to give support in many ways to military children. In Colorado, we have been working to add We Serve Too, A Child’s Deployment Book to the contents of the hero pack. These packs are a wonderful resource for children, and are given out to children who have a parent deployed or soon to be deployed.

The packs are very high quality, and the supporters of OMK , give generously to fill the packs with things that can help kids stay connected to a parent far away. 4-H children compile these donations into the pack to give out to military kids.The book We Serve Too!, is a useful addition that allows parents and caretakers to have truly meaningful discussions that can help young children find a purpose and understanding of what their parent may be doing while far from home.

If you would like to participate in getting our book into the hero pack, you can purchase the book on our website and note in the comment area, that it is a gift to a military child, and to be added to an OMK hero pack .

We hope to soon have a way for you to directly donate books through 4-H, so you can get a tax deduction for your gift, but as of now we just thank you for your gifts to our littlest heroes!

It has been a surprising experience, this book publishing adventure! I got a call from my partner Paula, while sunning on a beach getaway with my family. She told me we had received a note and photo from Laura Bush! Noting that the first Lady herself writes children’s books , we thought she might enjoy ours. Having a relationship with the Armed Services, we knew she and the President would appreciate the sacrifice of Military children and their families. They do, and you can see the note and photo here as a testimony of that support. We are very proud to have a book that supports Military families and gives children of our brave warriors the recognition that they serve too!

The letter is hard to read so here is what it says:

(the top of the letter has a seal and says The White House)

March 4, 2008

(our names and address)

Dear Ms.Edick and Ms. Johnson,

Congratulations on the publication of your book!

Thank you for the copy of We Serve Too!-A Child’s Deployment Book and your kind inscription. President Bush and I are mindful of the burden of worry borne by the children of our deployed troops. We admire you for writing and illustrating a book to comfort these young people.

Thank you also for your kind words of support and encouragement.

With best wishes,  Laura Bush (signature)

We have unveiled our first book for military kids! We are finding that not only is it a hit with the little ones who love to wear the dog tags that say” We Serve Too!” and on the other side “I will be strong and courageous”, but the parents are loving it too. The best part of having a books for children in military families is hearing stories like, “our daughter wants to hear this story every night” . A note from an army mom who told us her 8 year old son finds comfort in wearing the dog tags to school, and says the prayer for Daddy every night before bed. These children are why we wanted to publish We Serve Too! , because they sacrifice and serve, yet for the most part remain unnoticed. Children are very resilient . I found when I worked in adoption, that children can accept a huge amount of change , and if the adults involved are open to talking and sharing, the child’s adjustments are much easier. Our book is designed for parents and children to have discussions about important issues surrounding the journey of being family. We are looking forward to using this blog to discuss things that will help and enhance the experiences of military families, things that can help kids cope, just fun things that families can do to stay connected to their loved ones , some life experiences and who knows what else! We are excited by the opportunities being given to us to reach out to military kids, and can’t wait to share it !