Nationwide Registration for Operation Purple Summer Camps Begins April 15
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Military Family
Association (NMFA) and Sears, Roebuck and Co. today announced the sites for
the 2005 Operation Purple Summer Camps. The camps provide unique experiences
to more than 2,000 children whose parents are deployed in the U.S. Armed
Forces. The 22 Operation Purple Camps provide children from U.S. military
families with fun and memorable opportunities to learn new skills for coping
with deployment-related stress. The camps are funded through the Sears
American Dream Campaign, a $100 million commitment to strengthen families,
homes and communities.
Operation Purple is the only summer camp program that focuses on helping
kids deal with deployment-related issues and is open to children of personnel
from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces ("purple" is a military term
representing inclusion of all branches). Applications for the camps will be
available April 15 through May 15 on the NMFA web site at
http://www.nmfa.org . Sears, Roebuck's funding enables children to attend the
camps at no charge.
NMFA developed Operation Purple camps last year in response to the need
for increased support services benefiting children of men and women serving in
the Armed Forces, especially those whose parents are or will be deployed.
With funding from Sears, Roebuck in 2004, NMFA conducted 12 camps reaching
nearly 1,000 young people. This year, the program has expanded to host more
than 2,000 kids. NMFA estimates that more than 135,000 children are
experiencing the absence of a parent due to a deployment to Iraq or
Afghanistan. This statistic does not include children who have parents
deployed elsewhere around the world.
"Operation Purple Summer Camps fulfill a critical need in the military
community," says Candace Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer of NMFA. "We have
been overwhelmed by the messages of support and gratitude we've received from
children, parents, the Department of Defense, the National Guard Bureau and
Members of Congress. We are thrilled to be able to expand the program this
year."
"Sears prides itself on serving the needs of homes and families, and our
affiliation with the NMFA provides advocacy programs for the families of men
and women actively serving in our armed forces," said Alan J. Lacy, vice
chairman and CEO of Sears Holdings Corporation. "Our support of the summer
camps enables a fabulous developmental experience for thousands of children
and enriches the lives of their families."
One in four American children will grow up to serve in the military or
marry a servicemember, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center, making
an investment in today's military kids important for positively affecting
tomorrow's military community.
Operation Purple Camp Details
The camps, which last from five to seven days, give kids ages eight to
18 an exciting and memorable camp experience, providing tools to help them
deal with the stress resulting from a parent's deployment. Each camp is joint
and "purple" -- encompassing all service branches, including the National
Guard and Reserve -- and offered free of charge to all participants.
Interested children from military families are encouraged to apply for the
camp located nearest their home. More than 30 weeks of Operation Purple camps
are offered in 18 states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii,
Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah), three international
locations (Germany, Italy and Japan) and one unincorporated U.S. territory
(Guam). A list of camp dates, sites and other information is now available on
NMFA's web site. Applications will be available on April 15.
About NMFA
The National Military Family Association, a nonprofit organization, is the
only national organization whose sole focus is the military family and whose
goal is to influence the development and implementation of policies that will
improve the lives of those family members. The association's mission is to
serve the families of the seven uniformed services through education,
information and advocacy. For more than 35 years its staff and volunteers,
comprised mostly of military family members, have built a reputation for being
the leading experts on military family issues.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck has a long tradition of support for the men and women of
the armed forces and their families dating back to 1916. Today, for qualified
Sears, Roebuck employees activated for duty through the National Guard or
Reserves, the company pays the difference between the soldiers' Sears, Roebuck
salary and military pay and offers extended employment benefits for up to
60 months. Since 2003, Sears, Roebuck has provided NMFA with more than
$2 million to address the unique challenges faced by military families.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings
Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing
merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of
home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more
than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and
Canada, which includes approximately 870 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores
in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services
through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck
offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman,
DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the
U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more
than 14 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the
Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings
Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com .
| |
SOURCE National Military Family Association; Sears, Roebuck and
Co.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.sears.com
http://www.nmfa.org http://www.searsholdings.com
CONTACT:
Media Contacts, for NMFA, Michelle Joyner,
+1-703-931-6632, joyner@nmfa.org ; or for Sears, Roebuck, Cheryl
Ann Lambert, +1-847-286-4714, clambe4@sears.com , or Allison
Grenesko, +1-312-240-2725, allison.grenesko@edelman.com
| |
|
