Operation Purple Camp Review

When you hear "Operation Purple camp" you should think: Kids Serve Too! The National Military Family Association's Operation Purple camp is a time for having fun, making friends, and reminding military kids that they are the Nation's youngest heroes.

As an organization dedicated to serving military families, the National Military Family Association recognized the need for more resources to support military children. In 2004, the Operation Purple program was created as a way to help military children struggling with the stresses of war.

These free, week-long, overnight camps are open to all military children ages 7-17. The program aims to help military kids experience carefree fun while also learning coping skills to deal with deployment-related stress and fostering relationships with other children who know what they are going through. Operation Purple camp allows kids to gain confidence by learning to be stewards of the community and of the environment.

Since Operation Purple camp's implementation, the National Military Family Association has sent more than 20,000 military kids to camp for free. In 2009, Operation Purple will host nearly 90 weeks of camp held in 62 locations in 37 states and territories. Camps are free to all participants thanks to support from the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation.

The Operation Purple program currently includes traditional summer camps, teen camps, teen leadership camps, family retreats, camps for families of the wounded, and day clinics in overseas locations.

Please direct questions regarding Operation Purple camp to operationpurple@nmfa.org.

 I worked at my first Operation Purple Camp August 8-14th and all I can say is WOW!  It was hard work but very rewarding at the same time.  I have a strong military family; cousins, Grandparents, aunts and uncles but until this camp I didn't realize how much these kids actually go through.  I still don't really have a clue but I have a better idea of it.  Helping children learn to communicate with their parent that is home and the one deployed.  Working through the conversation that they just want to be a kid and not the "man of the house."

They had a Survival Day where they learned about what they could and couldn't eat in the wild, how to build shelters, leave signals if lost or hurt, build fires, filter water and hide using camouflage.  They had play time where they got to use the climbing wall, go fishing, play in the creek and even use the craft cabin.  A computer lab came to the camp for a day too, they got to practice programming and building a robot.  Therapy dogs were also brought in for a day to work with the campers.

Our camp didn't have enough volunteers to small group lead so part of the paid camp staff had to fill in.  That is very sad but I hope that more and more will sign up to work it.  Because these kids really do serve too.  Not knowing if Mom/Dad, Brother/Sister is coming home and having to make up for the missing person in the house.  One little girl was being dropped off by her Dad, they gave each other a HUGE hug, I thought maybe she would be a home sick child.  Then my heart broke, Dad said "I will see you in a year and I love you."  She wasn't going to miss home as much as she was going to miss her Dad who wasn't going to be picking her up at the end of the week.

These kids worry about food, money if the house is clean, who is going to do the yard work and when their parent is going to be home.  I think we can give a week of our life to support them.