Celebrating Military Children

It seems appropriate that we celebrate What Different Can Do during the Month of the Military Child and on Purple Up Day. The Month of the Military Child and Purple Up Day are times to honor the sacrifices made by military families worldwide, with an emphasis on the experience of the dependent children of military members serving at home and overseas. We are honored to serve military families through our Summer Camp and welcome more than 40% of our campers from active duty or veteran families.

The life of a military child is one of constant change. Children move, often with short notice, every two to three years. Military children face many stressors- moves, parents on deployment, and worries for their service member’s safety – on top of the same challenges many adolescents face growing up. COVID-19 placed an additional toll on these children as parents’ deployments were extended, isolation increased, and disruption continued. 

At Camp Southern Ground, we recognize these challenges, but celebrate their strengths. These children are resilient, and have so many experiences to share. With less than 1% of the population serving in the military today, these children can often feel misunderstood or lacking in connection with others.  When we bring military children together with neurodiverse and underserved children they all learn about their differences, champion each other’s strengths and grow through healthy and connected relationships. Camp provides an environment to build connections with kids their own age who have gone, or are currently going through the same family situations or challenges. Through these shared experiences, they validate their feelings about a different life and learn how to cope with those feelings.  Additionally, Camp provides military kids with the chance to be a kid and just have fun!

 Join us as we celebrate military kids today and always. Looking to do more? Here are 50 Ways to support military children this month!