COLUMBUS, Ohio - Media gathered around them with cameras at the ready, Brutus signed their shirts and posed for pictures, Ohio State student athletes gave them private lessons on how to play sports and buckeye cheerleaders cheered for them as they sat wide-eyed and wondering. “You are all heroes,” said Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. Even if they’re too young to drive, their sacrifices have already earned the respect and gratitude of buckeyes everywhere; they are the children of military families.
More than 60 children of military families attended a daylong Operation: Military Kids (OMK) Hero Camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus, Ohio, July 27, where they toured the facilities, played sports and learned about healthy, active lifestyles.
OMK was designed to support children affected by the deployment of military service members and help them develop resilience in coping with the absence of their loved ones.
The camp, primarily funded by donations from the United Service Organizations (USO) of central Ohio, was organized from the collaborative efforts of the Ohio National Guard’s Family Readiness program, the Ohio State University (OSU) Department of Athletics and OSU’s Ohio 4-H youth development program.
Project Director for OMK and Youth Development Specialist for Ohio 4-H Theresa Ferrari said, “Our goal was to reach younger kids and provide something that would focus on healthy living and connections between kids and other military kids. “
The children toured the Woody Hayes athletic center, literally high-fiving some of OSU’s Heisman trophies, and the Ohio Stadium, where they wrestled with OMK volunteers from the end zone to the 50-yard line and back.
“The message we want to send from OSU is that we appreciate the men and women in the service.” Tressel said.
The buckeye football coach visited the children and their parents to personally thank them for their sacrifices.
“We are proud to have you on our campus, you guys are heroes.” Tressel said to them before he posed for photos and shook their hands. |
OSU student athletes taught the kids how to play lacrosse, soccer and run track while Buckeye cheerleaders and mascot Brutus escorted them from one event to the next.
“It’s kind of a sweet, surreal feeling for me to be in this role,” said senior midfielder for OSU’s soccer team Sam Scales. “What their parents are doing is awesome and helping their kids is the best way to thank them for it.”
The children were aged 5-11 and many of them had parents that either deployed or were scheduled to deploy within the next year.
“If your parents are deployed it’s a good way to let go of stress: playing sports, meeting knew people and making new friends,” 11-year-old Peyton Coldwell said.
Peyton’s father is in the Ohio Army National Guard and has deployed to Afghanistan and Kosovo.
“You can meet knew people and relate to other kids,” Peyton said. “This is a good camp and if your family is in the military you should come.”
While the children participated in sports, their parents attended workshops that outlined available resources for military family members and methods for dealing with deployments as a family.
“Sometimes it’s give and take and the kids have to understand when their father goes away, they need to be prepared when those things arise,” said Heidi Frantz, whose husband is in the Ohio Army National Guard.
Many programs are offered to assist military family members when faced with deployment, however some families do not know how to access those resources. The Ohio National Guard’s Family Readiness Program has six family readiness centers throughout Ohio to serve all military families, regardless of service, and these workshops to teach families how to utilize them. For more information or assistance from Family Readiness, please call 1-800-589-9914.
“I think it’s just awareness,” Frantz said. “Get out there and check out the different resources and programs.” |
