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.