COLUMBUS, Ohio — Molly Frey, a 12-year-old from Pickerington, Ohio, and daughter of two Airmen with the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing, was recently recognized as one of four Military Kids of the Year by the Our Military Kids organization.
The daughter of Senior Master Sgts. Kim and Renee Frey, Molly was selected because, in addition to being an “excellent ballet dancer,” she is an accomplished figure skater and sailor, and has helped raise money for breast cancer awareness by participating in Skate for Hope, an organization that has raised $430,000 for breast cancer research, according to Our Military Kids officials.
Our Military Kids is a national nonprofit organization that provides activity grants to children of deployed National Guard and Reserve members, along with Wounded and Fallen Warriors from all branches and components of service. To compete to be a Military Kid of the Year, a child had to receive an initial grant, be an active volunteer in his or her community and have a parent deployed.
Molly's father, Kim, was deployed to Camp Leatherneck, a 1,600-acre Marine Corps base located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2012, when Molly received her grant.
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Molly Frey (left), a Pickerington, Ohio, native, stands with Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker before her favorite team plays the Washington Nationals April 25, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Molly, who was invited onto the field at Nationals Park prior to the game, was one of four youths selected as a Military Kid of the Year by the Our Military Kids organization, a national nonprofit organization that provides activity grants to children of deployed National Guard and Reserve members, along with Wounded and Fallen Warriors from all branches and components of service. (Courtesy photo) |
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Molly's mother, Renee, sent in the nomination paperwork not knowing that Molly would be one of only four children selected from across the country. She was chosen out of about 100 candidates who qualified.
“I surprised Molly by showing up in her classroom at Pickerington Lakeview Junior High to tell her she was selected,” Renee said. “She thought it was the neatest thing that I told her in front of her classmates.”
After being selected, Molly was flown with her mother in April to Arlington, Va., to attend the Our Military Kids' fourth annual “A Celebration of our Military Kids' Star Power” awards program.
Upon their arrival, they met with U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, of Ohio's 15th Congressional District, and toured the Capitol and Pentagon.
“It was a very moving experience to see the memorial that was built for employees killed during the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001,” Renee said. “Each of them has a bench with their name on it that is lit up at night in remembrance.”
Later that day, Molly attended a Washington Nationals baseball game where the hometown club competed against her favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds.
“My favorite part was posing for a photo with Reds manager Dusty Baker,” Molly said. “I'm a huge Reds fan.”
The next night was the Our Military Kids ceremony which focused on the four nationwide Military Kids of the Year award recipients and the 2013 Military Family of the Year. Molly's part of the ceremony was performing a ballet routine that she choreographed herself. With the help of her instructors, she put together a routine to Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah,” a song she heard her father playing on his guitar after he returned from deployment.
Molly said the best part of the trip was meeting the other Military Kids of the Year recipients, who hailed from California, Florida and Louisiana.
“I think it's such a great thing that military kids get honored, because in a military Family we all serve.” Molly said. |
