Tuesday May 15, 2012
Eckrich, which is part of the John Morrell Food Group and a subsidiary of Smithfield foods, is showing support for the troops and military families in a very big way.
In addition to providing food assistance to those in need, Eckrich has teamed up with Operation Homefront and together they're hosting Military Thank You Days.
To give you an idea of how committed Eckrich is in helping military families, at a recent Military Thank You Day held in San Antonio, Charles Gitkin, vice president, marketing, innovation and R&D John Morrell Food Group, presented a check for $200,000 to Operation Homefront on behalf of Eckrich.
"Eckrich is proud and humbled to partner with Operation Homefront to help support America's military families. Creating special family moments is ingrained into our company's mission and values. That's why we're giving back and supporting this cause," Joseph Sebring, President of the John Morrell Food Group said in a released statement.
If you'd like to participate in a Military Thank You Day the locations and times for upcoming events are:
- Norman, OK - June 1
- Fayetteville, AR - June 3
- Ft. Riley - June 8
- Clarksville, TN - June 14
- Marietta, GA - June 21
(Registration information for these events is located here.)
Furthermore, besides their very generous monetary donation, Eckrich is also investing more than $8 million into a military family support program that's focused on bringing public awareness to the needs of military families. By utilizing television, radio, Facebook and other social media outlets, Eckrich hopes to educate the public about the sacrifices, challenges and joys that military families experience.
For additional information about this program or to hear stories from military families, please visit the Eckrich Facebook page.
To learn more about Operation Homefront and all that they do to help military families, please visit their Web site.
Above photo: Gabriel Perez welcomes fellow military families to kick off Eckrich and Operation Homefront's Military Family Support Program in San Antonio on April 28, 2012.
Photo courtesy of Eckrich.
Wednesday May 9, 2012
Are you the parent of a school-age child (or children)? Are you preparing to PCS?
If you answered yes to both of those questions and you're searching for information about the schools at your new duty station, simply select your region from the list below and you'll be taken to a page that features DoDEA schools in that particular area.
Friday April 27, 2012
One of my favorite quotes on happiness comes from Helen Keller: "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."
Wow, isn't that the truth? How often have you found yourself staring at the proverbial closed door, completely oblivious that another door (or doors) has opened?
Throughout my life, I've learned that happiness really is a choice. But sometimes it's hard to look past the sadness, grief, anger or frustration long enough to recognize the numerous sources of happiness that are right in front of us. This is especially true when life throws us a series of sucker punches in rapid succession.
Since January, our family has experienced numerous tragic events, including the deaths of several loved ones. Basically, we've been dealt one blow after another. I'll spare you all the details, but suffice to say, there have been plenty of days where I've had to remind myself that happiness is a choice. And you know what? Choosing happiness does make a positive difference. Granted, it isn't an instant fix that will magically make all your troubles, grief or sadness disappear. However, what it will do is help to restore some balance in your life by offsetting the negative with positive, which in turn often creates a positive shift in attitude that leads to a sense of inner peace and calm...at least that's what it does for me.
Whenever you're experiencing tragic or difficult times, whether they stem from a deployment, a PCS, or events that are completely unrelated to the military lifestyle, it's my sincere hope that you'll make a conscious effort to choose happiness.
Find a reason to smile or laugh and take note of how much better you feel. Then, watch how your happiness spreads to the other members in your family. Go ahead, give it a try.
Tuesday April 24, 2012
In the Deployment Diaries section over at MilitaryKidsConnect there's a wonderful commentary entitled Military Kid says, "Stressed Out?"
The piece, which is written by a military child, contains quite a bit of fabulous wisdom and advice for other military kids. If you get a chance, check it out and then pass it along to your child.
About MilitaryKidsConnect
Military kids, ages 6-17, can build a peer support system through this online community that was created specifically for military children. The site contains age-appropriate material designed to help military kids better cope with all phases of their parent's (or caregivers) deployment.
Besides offering resources, tools and support for kids the site also features a wide range of information for parents and educators.
More on Kids and Stress
