Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

One of our military kids enjoys a fast ride around the track.

Military Children: A Legacy of Service

The Month of the Military Child highlights the younger warriors within the ranks of our nation’s bravest families. Among these, one of our own stands out.

Maggie, a freshman at The Ohio State University, was not satisfied with simply being the daughter of a Coast Guardsmen.  Maggie also volunteered countless hours at Hope For The Warriors® events.

Even more impressive was her high school Senior Project—a project dedicated to helping an entire school district better understand the needs and challenges of their students.

Maggie’s project informed local high school teachers about vicarious post-traumatic stress disorder, a psychological disorder that affects those that surround the military bases, especially children of service members.  Her project included a seminar for teachers, which was taped and his now part of the required annual training for teachers throughout Onslow County.

Maggie’s dedication to go above and beyond put her in the spotlight as Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year in 2011. She was honored with the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Michelle Obama about the needs of military families.  Maggie returned to the ceremony this year as a guest of the President of Hope For The Warriors®, Robin Kelleher.

As she moves forward into a successful college career, Maggie hopes to implement a new program at The Ohio State University as well, in an effort to educate future leaders about the needs of our nation’s wounded heroes and their families.

Maggie is not only an asset to Hope For The Warriors®, but also to every community group and educational institution that she works with. We are excited to see a continuance of great things from Maggie, and could not be more proud. 

Military Children: Run and Volunteer

Running in a 5K, attending an annual Dolphin Dip, riding a motorcycle...it might seem like all fun and games, but when your Mom works for a nonprofit and your Dad is a Marine, they are a lot of work too.

Our President, Robin Kelleher, has two young kids that have grown up surrounded by the Marine Corps and Hope For The Warriors®.  They have attended races and events to raise funds and awareness for our military families. They have volunteered at events--helping their Mom and our staff with whatever jobs they can do. 



Even if their destination is fun, not all of the work surrounding the event is fun.  They have sat on the sidelines, watching their Mom interact with military families, trying to wait patiently.  They understand first hand the price of service and sacrifice.  They have witnessed the impact on the families their Mom works with, they have heard the conversations at the dinner table.  They will grow up with a very healthy respect for our men and women in uniform, like most military children.

If you have a great military child that has supported Hope For The Warriors®, please let us know!  Send photos and information to Anne Woods.

Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Daddy comes home!

Military Children: Young Team Members

Meet Kelly and Brooke, both 11, and Devin, 5 years old.  Their father is in the Marine Corps and they have spent their entire lives following their Dad's career.  Their Mom is a director for Hope For The Warriors® and was one of the original volunteers when the organization started in 2006.

The kids had a great opportunity this year.  They attended the Disney Marathon and Half Marathon in January with their parents and members of Team Hope For The Warriors®.  They were excited to meet real life heroes--Manny and John, two wounded service members who competed in the marathon and half marathon.

The kids decided they wanted to do more.  The family lives in the Tampa area, home to the popular Gasparilla races.  Their Dad heads up Tampa Team Hope For The Warriors® and the Team participated in the half marathon that weekend. The two girls motivated a group of their classmates to run the Gasparilla 5K race in honor of Manny and John. They had fun and honored our heroes!

Dad returns from deployment and meets his son.

If you have a great military child that has supported Hope For The Warriors®, please let us know!  Send photos and information to Anne Woods.

Month of the Military Child

"Where are you from?"

It is a common question we ask new acquiantences and one that typically is easy to answer.  But sometimes, the answer is not so easy. 

"Everywhere and nowhere."

And when you hear that answer, the usual response is:

"Oh, was your Dad in the military?"

Yes, the military child lives an interesting life.  They have interesting stories to share, a long list of schools and states they have lived in--and sometimes different countries too. 

Military kids learn how to make friends quickly.  They know the meaning of the term "hit the ground running."  Move to a new base, make friends, find your activities and sports.  There is no time to waste.

Military kids quickly stand at attention during the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star-Spangled Banner and more.  They understand the importance of respect to the flag, to military members and to our leaders.

Military kids know how to say good-bye.  They know that their Dad or Mom might not be there for every single game or performance. Some moments will be missed. Military kids know how to carry forward.

Military kids learn at an early age the meaning of service and sacrifice. They are serving.

Help Us Celebrate the Month

Hope For The Warriors® depends on volunteers to ensure the success of our events and our organization.  Many of those volunteers are also the son or daughter of a member of our military.  If your military child has volunteered with our organization, taken part in a fundraiser, been a member of Team Hope For The Warriors® or has participated in multiple events such as Run For The Warriors®, we would like to hear from you.  E-mail Anne Woods with photos and share with us what your military child has done for our wounded heroes.  We will honor your child on this blog!