Mission: family: Military kids can attend free Operation Purple camps - Air Force Community, Air Force Spouse and Family Resources - Air Force Times

Mission: family: Military kids can attend free Operation Purple camps

The popular Operation Purple camps, aimed at helping military kids deal with the stresses of their parents’ deployments to war, will be offered again this summer, thanks to donors who came through for military families.

This will be the eighth summer of the camps, which now host about 10,000 kids each year. Operation Purple, developed by the National Military Family Association, will provide a total of 40 weeks of camp this year in 25 states — and in Okinawa. The camps aim to provide a fun, memorable experience that gives military children the tools to deal with stresses that come from a parent’s deployment. Camps are open to children of military members of all ranks and services, including the active and reserve components. The association gives priority to children with a parent who has deployed or will deploy within a 15-month window.

One big benefit of the camps is that they connect children with their peers who have had similar experiences.

Families can find out about camp locations, dates and contact information when registration opens March 31. Information about the program and eligibility is available at www.militaryfamily.org/op.

Camps are free, funded this year by Goldman Sachs Gives, the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation.

Spouse financial fellowships Want a portable career that helps improve your family’s financial situation and lets you help other military families improve theirs? Check out the Military Spouse Fellowship Program, which provides education to earn the Accredited Financial Counselor designation from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education.

Spouses can apply through April 15 at www.militaryfamily.org/fellowship for the 2011 program, now in its sixth year.

About 200 scholarships are given each year to spouses for the distance-learning program, which otherwise would cost about $900. Spouses generally have about two years to complete the course of study and the practicum, which involves 1,000 hours of working or volunteering in the financial counseling field serving military or local civilian communities.

Since the program began, 255 spouses have graduated. There is some latitude because officials understand life intervenes for military spouses, with with events such as moves, deployments and babies.

The program is a partnership between the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Investor Education Foundation, AFCPE, and National Military Family Association. More details are at www.saveandinvest.org/militaryhttp://www.saveandinvest.org/Military/index.htm .

Karen Jowers is the wife of a military retiree. Email her at kjowers@militarytimes.com.