Featured Charity
This year’s featured charity at YMCA New Jersey Youth & Government Conference is Operation Military Kids (OMK).
As of September 2009, there are over 15,000 civilians working to support the military and over 7,000 actively serving in the U.S. military within the state of New Jersey,. Operation Military Kids provides access to youth programs and various support services to military children and collaborates with youth to help generate community awareness of the issues faced by military youth when a parent is in the deployment cycle. Other than organizing special events and other extracurricular activities, OMK facilitates Hero Pack initiative, an expression of support for military families.
Hero Packs are filled by non-military youth from communities across the nation with
- children’s books
- coloring books
- stickers
- puzzles
- small toys
- crayons/ markers/ colored pencils
- stationary
- paper/notebooks
to help military kids have fun and stay in touch with their deployed parent. These packs are a way to support, commend and thank military children for their sacrifice and strength. At this year’s conference we ask that delegates bring these items so that we, the Youth and Government community, can support these military families who serve and sacrifice each day.
More information is available at http://www.operationmilitarykids.org/public/home.aspx
