Saluting military kids on Purple Up! Day

Our team is decked out in purple as a tribute to military kids on Purple Up! Day.

Jen, our Program Manager pictured bottom right, shares her experience growing up as a military kid:

"A military brat is often what we kids who have parents that are in the military are called.  In retrospect, I understand why civilians called us that. In their eyes, we got to travel and move to countries all around the world that most people only dream of one day visiting and all we kids did was complain about it (as well as get into a little bit of trouble). For me, it was tough moving around every few years. I was painfully shy and having to make friends only to leave them and make new ones caused a lot of anxiety. There was a constant need for a place to belong.

In the end and as an adult, I appreciate the opportunities we had being thrown into so many different cultures, food, people, languages, etc.

You learn a kind of open-mindedness that can’t BE without having some kind of nomadic lifestyle. Purple Up! Day is a wonderful day to recognize those new kids who put military duty before family.

​If you know of one, go out of your way to make them feel welcome in your town and introduce them to your friends!  Help them to belong!

Thank you!!!"