Press Releases

MEDIA UPDATE: DoD Secretary Gates to attend reception honoring military kids

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 3, 2008 – Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will join other dignitaries in honoring “Our Military Kids” at a Capitol Hill reception 5-8 p.m., Monday, April 7.  The nonprofit foundation has given more than $1 million to the families of deployed or wounded National Guard and Reserve members.

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Our Military Kids Receives $50,000 Donation from the Sidley Austin Foundation

Law Firm Foundation Commemorates the Fifth Anniversary of September 11th with a Donation that Will Have a Positive Impact on Families of Deployed National Guard and Reserve Military

McLean, Virginia (September 18, 2006) – Our Military Kids, a McLean, Virginia non-profit dedicated to funding essential extracurricular activities for children of deployed Reserve and National Guard military, received a donation of $50,000 from the Sidley Austin Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the nation’s largest law firms, in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of September 11th. The gift will be used to fund sports, fine arts, tutoring and other extracurricular programs for children of deployed servicemen and women. Carter Phillips, managing partner, and Robert Rubenstein, Director of Administration of Sidley Austin LLP’s Washington, D.C. office, presented the $50,000 check to Our Military Kids Executive Directors Linda Davidson and Gail Kruzel during a ceremony Monday at Sidley’s offices at 1501 K Street, N.W.

“In commemoration of the fifth anniversary of September 11th, we wanted to make a donation that would have a meaningful impact on the lives of our Nation’s servicemen and women and their families,” said Mr. Phillips. “Through the efforts of Our Military Kids, many children are able to participate in programs which might otherwise not be available to them. To us, this makes Our Military Kids a particularly deserving organization.”

“Our Military Kids is so grateful for Sidley’s generous support,” said Linda Davidson, Executive Director of Our Military Kids. “Many deserving children will have the opportunity to participate in sports, arts and other activities, which are so important in keeping children on track and involved during the stressful period of a parent’s deployment.”

About Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that wants to ensure school-age children of deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard military have the opportunity to participate in youth sports, fine arts, and tutor programs without the expense of such programs creating a financial burden on a family that has already been asked to make sacrifices and accept new challenges. Many service members have gone to fight the Global War on Terrorism and along with their service come many sacrifices of their families as well. Our Military Kids, a member of America Support You, relies on generous donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Please visit www.ourmilitarykids.org for more information.

About Sidley Austin LLP

Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with more than 1,600 lawyers practicing in 15 U.S. and international cities including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. Sidley received the 2005 Catalyst Award in recognition of the firm’s initiative to recruit, retain and advance diverse talent.

Our Military Kids, Inc. Partners with Target for Sponsorship of Our Military Kids Grant Program

McLean, Virginia (August 22, 2006) – Our Military Kids, Inc. today announced a partnership with Target for sponsorship of its grant program which supports the children of the deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard forces. Our Military Kids provides funding for sports, fine arts and tutoring programs – activities which are so important in keeping children on track and involved during the stressful period of a parent’s deployment. Target has generously agreed to provide funding for the Our Military Kids fine arts grant awards.

“We are delighted to have Target as a corporate sponsor of the Our Military Kids program,” said Linda Davidson, Executive Director. “With Target’s generous support of fine arts grants, many deserving children will have the opportunity to start or continue their art, dance and music lessons while their parent is away defending our country.”

This sponsorship is part of the ongoing support Target provides to local communities throughout the country. Every week Target gives more than $2 million to strengthen families and communities across the nation, with a focus on education, the arts, social services and other vital community partnerships.

“At Target, we are making a real difference every day through our sponsorship program,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with Our Military Kids and it is part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

Additionally, Target also gives back through signature programs that are designed to inspire learning in children and families. Programs include:
• Take Charge of Education®, a school fundraising program;
• Ready. Sit. Read!, a program dedicated to fostering a life-long love of reading in children;
• Start Something®, a partnership between Target and the Tiger Woods Foundation, which helps kids build core values;
• Target House, which serves as a home-away-from-home for families of children receiving life-saving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis; and
• Target Volunteers, team members and retirees who annually donate more than 315,000 hours of time to more than 7,000 community-based projects.

About Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that wants to ensure school-age children of deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard military have the opportunity to participate in youth sports, fine arts, and tutor programs without the expense of such programs creating a financial burden on a family that has already been asked to make sacrifices and accept new challenges. Many service members have gone to fight the Global War on Terrorism and along with their service come many sacrifices of their families as well. Our Military Kids, a member of America Support You, relies on generous donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Please visit www.ourmilitarykids.org for more information.

About Target

Target gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs. Additionally, Target team members and retirees donate more than 315,000 hours to more than 7,000 projects each year.

OMK Attends Tee Ball Game

Our Military Kids Attends Tee Ball Game On The South Lawn Of The White House:

McLean non-profit organizes outing for 30 children who have parents serving in Iraq and Afghanistan

McLean, Virginia (June 23, 2006) – Our Military Kids, a McLean, Virginia nonprofit dedicated to funding essential extracurricular activities for children of deployed Reserve and National Guard military, organized an outing for 30 children and 20 adults to attend Tee Ball on the South Lawn of the White House. These children from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia all have parents deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and have received a grant award from Our Military Kids.

“We are very pleased the White House offered these tickets to Our Military Kids. The families were so appreciative and excited to visit the White House and see the President” said Linda Davidson, Executive Director of Our Military Kids. “We are grateful for the opportunity to honor and recognize these families in a small way for the sacrifices they have been asked to make while their loved one is serving our country.”

The Our Military Kids families were invited as spectators to the baseball game played by the McGuire AFB Little League Yankees (New Jersey) vs. Dolcom Little League Indians (Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Connecticut), and then treated to a picnic lunch served on the South Lawn of the White House. President Bush warmly greeted each of the families, posing for photos and signing autographs. The President took this opportunity to thank the families and their loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan for their service to our country.

Our Military Kids is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that wants to ensure school-age children of deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard military have the opportunity to participate in youth sports, fine arts, and tutor programs without the expense of such programs creating a financial burden on a family that has already been asked to make sacrifices and accept new challenges. Many service members have gone to fight the Global War on Terrorism and along with their service come many sacrifices of their families as well.

Our Military Kids has been funded by generous contributions from corporations, governments and individuals. Major corporate sponsors of the program have been General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company, Freddie Mac Foundation, Rolls-Royce, Avpro, Inc, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, LLP. To learn more about Our Military Kids and how you may join in this effort to recognize and support the children of our deployed Reserves and National Guard military, you may visit www.ourmilitarykids.org or call them at 703-734-6654.

Margaret Kirkman of Richmond, VA, with 5 of her 8 children, Mitchell, Braxton, Everett, Keaghn and Grayson are joined by her brother, Daniel Johnson and nephew, Garrison, on their visit to the White House.

Gabe Rizer of Alexandria, VA, proudly shares the autograph provided by President George Bush during his visit to the White House.

Brothers Thomas, John and Matthew O’Neil, of Woodbridge, VA, are honored to pose with President Bush for pictures.

About Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that wants to ensure school-age children of deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard military have the opportunity to participate in youth sports, fine arts, and tutor programs without the expense of such programs creating a financial burden on a family that has already been asked to make sacrifices and accept new challenges. Many service members have gone to fight the Global War on Terrorism and along with their service come many sacrifices of their families as well. Our Military Kids, a member of America Support You, relies on generous donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Please visit www.ourmilitarykids.org for more information

Filling the Gap for OMK Kids

Filling the Gap for Our Military Kids

New Nonprofit Leads Effort to Help Children of Deployed National Guard and Reserve

McLean, Virginia (March 11, 2005) –When an Air Force Officer was asked what he needed in Iraq, he said, “Please don’t send cookies, care packages or socks. Just help take care of our children.”

A new nonprofit organization is dedicated to doing just that. Our Military Kids has been formed to provide support and recognition to the families of National Guard and Reserves by providing the financial resources to enable these children to participate in youth sports, fine arts and tutoring programs during the period of their parent’s deployment.

“Although the government makes significant resources available to children of active duty military personnel at military installations, over 60% of reserve families live more than 25 miles from the nearest post making these resources inaccessible to these children” explains organization co-founder Linda Davidson. “Our Military Kids was created to make certain that all children of military families get the support they urgently need while coping with the absence of a parent who is away serving our country.”

Davidson continues, “While I do not have a child or spouse in the military, I feel a deep responsibility to provide support to the military families who are making sacrifices because a spouse is fighting the War on Terrorism. After all, they’re over there to defend and protect all of us here at home. I believe Americans appreciate the sacrifices these families are making and want to help. Our Military Kids gives people a means of providing direct and tangible support to these families.”

Davidson’s partner, Gail Kruzel, has a different reason for being involved in this program. Kruzel knows first-hand about the challenges of raising children in a single parent home due to the call of duty. Her children were 12 and 14 when her husband, a diplomat, was killed on a peace mission to Bosnia.

“It is so important to keep these kids in a routine, to keep them involved in activities and on track. Unfortunately, the challenges these families face are compounded by the fact that when a reservist is called up for active duty, many times his or her income can drop substantially. So, just when the children most need these extracurricular activities, the family can no longer afford them.”

While the program will eventually be national in scope, immediate plans call for the rollout of the program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Eligible families are encouraged to apply for funding by filling out an application available on the Our Military Kids web site or obtained from the national office. Corporations, foundations and individual donors are being sought to support this effort with tax-deductible donations. Recently, the Boeing Company signed on as a Sponsor.

Advisory board members include:

Admiral Steve Abbot, USN (Ret.); Ambassador Donald K. Bandler; Barbara M. Barrett; Marlin L. “Buzz” Hefti; General George Joulwan, USA (Ret.); Jan M. Lodal; General Richard (Butch) Neal, USMC (Ret.); Dr. William J. Perry (former secretary of defense); Alma Powell (Mrs. Colin Powell); General Joseph Ralston, USAF (Ret); Joe R. Reeder; and Walter B. Slocombe.

About Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids is a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of Reserve and National Guard military children across the country. For more information or to make a donation, please go to www.ourmilitarykids.org or call 703.734.6654. Our Military Kids is located at 6830 Elm Street, McLean, Virginia 22101.