Children of service members invited to free week of camp
May 7,2014
Youth with a parent serving in the military can attend a week of camp on the shores of Lake Michigan this July through the Purdue-affiliated program Indiana Operation Military Kids.
The fourth annual Department of Defense deployment support camp will be held on July 20-25 at the Dunes Learning Center in Chesterton, Indiana. The camp brings together military youth ages 9-14 who have experienced, currently are experiencing or will be experiencing the deployment of a loved one. Through hands-on activities, military youth learn how to cope with the stress of deployment while connecting with other youth experiencing a similar situation.
Indiana is home to 20,000 military youth but no active military installations. Because of this, Indiana's military youth don't often connect with each other.
"This camp provides military youth a chance to get outside and learn about nature but it also provides an opportunity for them to connect and form support networks," says Ryan Wynkoop, coordinator of Indiana Operation: Military Kids (OMK). Indiana OMK is a program of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service Indiana 4-H Program and is funded by the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. Through activities like camps and one-day events, OMK brings military youth and families together to meet each other and learn about resources available to them in their communities.
The camp is free and open to dependents of service members from all branches and components, including DoD contractors. Registration is available at www.duneslearningcenter.org/summer-camp and is open until June 30. For questions about the camp or more information about Indiana Operation: Military Kids, contact Wynkoop at 49-49516 or rwynkoop@purdue.edu.