NORWICH – The Norwich American Legion Auxillary, in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension, is sponsoring a program titled Operation: Military Kids, which reaches out to children whose world is turned upside down when a military parent is deployed.
The mission of the program is to show support for such children and military families by creating a local network of available services and resources in the county. The event is set to take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 at the American Legion Post 189, 29 Sheldon St. in Norwich.
According to local Operation: Military Kids coordinator Mary Lou McAvoy, kids of military families are too often overlooked in Chenango County. “There are many of these children in our own backyards and we want to give them our understanding and support,” she said.
McAvoy, along with other volunteers at the Legion Auxillary, is currently asking for help in identifying military children and their families. Additionally, the organization is seeking donations of child-friendly items to add to Hero Packs (small gift packages filled with toys, games, post cards, journals and books, or any other item to salute a military child for their strength and sacrifice while a parent is deployed).
“Children of military families can sometimes feel that they have been thrown by the wayside,” McAvoy explained, noting that there are more than 100 military kids in the county. “We want to do something to show these kids that they are special ... We want to help find things, other organizations, that will be able to help kids and their families.”
This is a great opportunity, not only to show support for local children of military families, but to also help parents deal with some of the challenges of deployment and leaving home, said Officer Scott Meade of the Norwich City Police Department.
For several years, Meade has volunteered services in the military. After serving a two-year overseas mission, he’s currently stationed at a military base in Syracuse and working part-time for the Norwich City Police department. Though he’s not as far from home as he once was, he’s unable to commute and his absence at home presents tough challenges for him and his family, he said.
“There’s a kind of friction you have to work through with your kids and it’s a unique struggle,” he said. “My advice is to stay in constant contact with them.”
The sudden appearance of another parent at home is the most difficult transition after serving, he explained.
“Children rely on their parents to guide them ... It’s hard for them if a parent suddenly shows up after a long period of time. The most important part is reincorporating yourself into their lives. It’s a task ... It takes a lot of effort to adjust.”
“Something like what Mrs. McAvoy is doing is great for kids and military families,” said City of Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino, who retired from the U.S. Marine reserves in 2008.
Angelino served 23 years in the military. During that time, the same network of support available to military base families was not as readily available in Chenango County, he said, and his wife was often left with a feeling of anxiety without a support group to turn to.
“In a rural area, volunteer support networks are of incredible importance,” he said. Programs like Operation: Military Kids are a chance for military families to establish a support network for one another, he added.
More information about Operation: Military Kids is available on the program’s website, www.operationmilitarykids.org. Additional information regarding the program and Hero Pack donations is available by contacting McAvoy at 647-9554.