June 10, 2005
Operation: Military Kids attends DePauw Conference
Students and recent graduates of Indiana high schools attending the State 4-H Junior Leaders Conference on June 14-17 at DePauw University in Greencastle will be introduced to a new Indiana program for military families.
Operation: Military Kids is an outreach program developed by The National Guard and Army Reserve to connect members of deployed military families with their community. The program teaches the public about the anxieties of being a military family and provides education, recreation and social programs for youth of deployed soldiers.
Extension staff and one team member will teach Junior Leaders the advantages of becoming a part of the Operation: Military Kids in their own county. Youth can continue to be active members in the program after the conference ends by encouraging community involvement.
During the conference, attendees also will assemble "Hero Packs" for soldiers. A liberty patriot bear, a disposable camera and a photo album are a few of the items included in the pack. In addition, each student will write a thank-you letter to military families.
These items have been helpful for soldiers to maintain communication with their families, said Steve McKinley, Indiana Operation: Military Kids Team Leader and 4-H Extension specialist.
CONTACT: Chris Cook-Leitz, Extension specialist, (765) 494-8433, cookleit@purdue.edu; Steve McKinley at (765) 479-0803 (during the conference only) or (765) 494-8435, mckinles@purdue.edu.
Related Web sites:
Indiana 4-H Youth
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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