Being a military family isn’t easy, especially when there’s a war being fought on the other side of the globe.
Every day brings new challenges, struggles and concerns as some families wait to hear from loved ones serving overseas while others receive word that mom or dad is being deployed.
That’s why the Operation Military Kids Club at Oxford Middle School needs to find out who the military families are in this area so it can provide them with support and a voice in the community.
‘If they’ll come to us, we have lots to offer them,? said club sponsor Jennifer Bennett, a sixth-grade teacher at OMS. ‘I know there’s not a great density of military folks, but we’re here.?
She also knows how hard it can be for military families who live quite a ways from a base.
‘They don’t have the support contacts and network that are available when you live on post,? Bennett said.
Being the wife of a staff sergeant in the 127th Air National Guard, who’s been active since 2001 and served two 120-day tours in the Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Bennett understands military life.
‘We’ve been through it,? she said. ‘Having that experience makes us real empathic.?
Although her husband, Richard Bennett, is currently serving at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, she said her family’s ‘waiting for word of another activation.?
In the meantime, the Operation Military Kids Club needs to find local military families for two upcoming events it’s taking part in.
Bennett said she tried to get family names from the military, but she kept running into roadblocks.
‘I understand the privacy aspect ? not wanting people to know you’re alone while your spouse is deployed,? explained Bennett, but without any names or contact information, the club can’t serve its function.
‘I know we’re out here. I just can’t get the contacts,? she said.’My hope is people who are connected somehow to the military will see this article and get a hold of us.?
On Sunday, April 1, club members will be helping Oxford American Legion Post 108 host an Easter Party for local military families.
‘We are assisting them,? Bennett said. ‘We have four or five kids available to do whatever they need or ask us to do that day.?
The club is also trying to put together a ‘parents night out? available to local military couples with (or without) children, in which a spouse has been deployed or activated within the last five years.
The idea is the parents enjoy a free dinner at Legion Post 108 along with two complimentary movie tickets, while club members baby-sit their kids, providing them with both activities and a meal.
‘It’s a chance to get out together and know the kids are taken care of,? Bennett said.
To help pay for the movie tickets, club members will be bussing tables for tips during the Legion’s weekly fish fry dinners on March 23 and 30.
Bennett stressed that Operation Military Kids Club is not a political group.
‘We have nothing to do with pro-war, anti-war, pro-military, anti-military ? we don’t talk about that at all,? she said. ‘We simply talk about supporting families and giving a voice to what they go through.?
The club prefers to have a mix of both military and non-military kids as members so it can extend its reach further into the community.
If you’re a military family or you know of one in the Oxford area, please contact Bennett at (248) 765-0710 or e-mail bennej01@oxford.k12.mi.us.