Photo By Leejay Lockhart | Kyler, a child who participated in the Month of the Military Child kickoff, attempts...... read more read more
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Fort Campbell Morale, Welfare and Recreation hosted its second annual outdoor celebration April 1, 2017, at Fryar Stadium to start the Month of the Military Child.
The Month of the Military Child observance lasts throughout April and marks the 31st anniversary of the celebration. It is an opportunity for communities with ties to the Department of Defense to honor the contributions military children make to support their Families throughout deployments, frequent moves and other challenges they face, such as providing care to wounded warriors.
Military children must be brave and resilient as their parents defend the nation. The various activities dedicated to those children during April are an opportunity to recognize the sacrifices they make.
Saturday’s event brought together resources from MWR, all of Fort Campbell’s child development centers, Army Community Service, Child and Youth Services, Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers and community partners, like the American Red Cross to provide a range of activities for children.
Spread across Fryar Stadium were inflatable bounce houses, a rock climbing wall, a food truck, a stage, a portable laser tag arena and booths lining both sidelines of the football field. The booths featured varieties of beanbag tosses and other games testing children’s throwing skills. Some booths also offered face painting and bubbles for children to play with. While music filled the air, there were martial arts demonstrations, music demonstrations and a dance floor set up in front of the stage for children. The demonstrations showed off some of the activities children can participate in at SKIESUnlimited.
Sergeant Garrett Green, Fort Campbell’s BOSS president, received a request from MWR to provide 16 to 20 volunteers for the event. When Green reached out to Soldiers who participate in BOSS, he found 28 Soldiers willing to volunteer for Saturday’s event.
“BOSS is usually an integral part of this just because we provide some manpower; however, with the hiring freeze that happened this year, manpower from MWR was cut really far down,” Green said. “I managed to get 28 Soldiers out here to facilitate everything from rock climbing, bubble ball, manning the signup booths, laser tag, keeping the kids entertained and making sure everything is picked up, like trash, all the fun stuff.”
Green said the Soldiers did not really understand what the event was about it, even after he described it, until they saw it firsthand. He said they ended up finding it amazing.
“It’s always an enjoyable day especially when the sun came out ... we’re warming up and having some fun,” Green said.
The Army provides high-quality services and support in child development programs, as well as recreational activities provided by MWR for the more than 133,000 children registered in CYS programs throughout the Army. The Month of the Military Child gives the Army a chance to applaud those children for their daily contributions to Army readiness.
Deon Williams, the lead for room 102 at Child Development Center 1, said all of the CDCs were at the event to show Families what services they have to offer. Her CDC had spent about four or five days making a float for the celebration. Williams and her coworkers marched around Fryar Stadium more than once with the float, waving and smiling with other participants and children who took part in the parades.
“I’ve been working with children for 23 years. I just started with Taylor Youth Center and then I went into the CDC and I’ve been at [the] CDC ever since,” Williams said. “It’s great because you are molding our children of the future … We didn’t have this when I was bring my child up and to see this now is awesome.” Williams said the event has about triple the amount of participants as last year’s inaugural event. She said she hopes it will continue to grow and her wish is that all of the Families associated with Fort Campbell will come out to celebrate military children and enjoy the experience next year.
Kyler and Nikolai were two of the children enjoying the event. Kyler said spending Saturday taking part in the activities was “infinity percent” fun. Laser tag was his favorite event.
“You got your laser gun and so you had to aim at one of the things, he had a headband and it had like a fake phone on there you had to shoot it and you would lose a life,” Kyler said. “I got nine players and on my second try I got four players.”
His dad is in the Army and he is proud of his dad for what he does in the military.
“He’s deployed in Afghanistan, he’s just training there and he probably might be back this week,” Kyler said. “[I love him] more than anything. More than gold. More than money or gold or diamonds.”
Kyler’s friend Nikolai also said laser tag was his favorite thing to do at the kick-off celebration, and playing laser tag was more fun than “infinity percent.” Nikolai also said he had fun playing in the large bubble balls which covered and in some cases nearly encapsulated children in a bubble.
“Yeah they were fun. I knocked Kyler out and then I was like upside down one time,” Nikolai said.
“Yeah because I pushed you over Nikolai,” Kyler said.
Nikolai’s dad also is deployed to Afghanistan and should return in the summer. Both of the boys said they had a great time.
“I do love this place,” Kyler said.
Specialist Frank Rovira, a Soldier assigned to 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, said he was very pleased with the event.
“So far my little girls have had a great time,” Rovira said. “They enjoyed the face painting and they enjoyed the bouncing houses and they also have been enjoying the bubbles. So every time they have something like this we always like to come and participate.”
Rovira found about the event when his wife saw information about it on Facebook and he decided to bring his girls. For him it was a beautiful day and he was able to have a good time with his Family. He said the Army and Fort Campbell has always made Month of the Military Child special for him and his children.
“They do gear a lot of the activities and the programs that they have toward kids and make it a focal point for them to have fun and enjoy themselves,” Rovira said. “I think Fort Campbell definitely does appeal and make a great effort for [children].”
Fannie Garret, director of the part-day preschool program, has been at CYS for more than 28 years has always been involved in Month of the Military Child activities.
“This is our second year where we are inviting the Fort Campbell community and those off post – Clarksville, Oak Grove, Hopkinsville – Families to come and join us,” Garret said. “We want them to know what our program is all about. In order to do that you have to come and see for yourself.”
She spent the day talking to Families and helping children have fun. Beside her booth were several different kinds of wands and bubble solution where carefree children with smiles on their faces were spinning or running with a trail of bubbles floating behind them.
“This is what it’s all about, making children happy,” Garret said. “With bubbles you can’t go wrong ... that’s what we do. Our job is to make sure [children] are happy.”
Garret said she had parents and children walk in the parades with her, making noises and having fun. She said the children loved it, noting that it also is important for parents to see the kind of enjoyable programs Fort Campbell sponsors for children.
Saturday’s celebration is just one of several events that Fort Campbell will host throughout the month as it recognizes military children. Other events include a Glow in the Dark scavenger hunt 7:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, as well as Taylor Youth Center Olympics on April 14. Both events will be hosted at Taylor Youth Center, 80 Texas Ave., and there are other activities happening at Taylor Youth Center as well as around the post. One of the events, Purple Up for Military Kids, a day where people wear purple to show their appreciation for everything military children do, will be April 21.
“Every time we come and do something here on post you know it’s always something that they can enjoy and they always have a good time,” Rovira said. “I think it was the perfect day to have this.”
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2017 14:47 |
| Story ID: | 229594 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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