FORT BENNING, Ga., (Sept. 24, 2014) -- Fort Benning will host the annual Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families Oct. 2-3 at the Sand Hill Recreation Center, Building 3308. Show times are 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and 10 a.m. Oct. 3.
The Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families is the USO's longest running tour based on Sesame Street's Military Families Initiative. The tour premiered April 4 and is scheduled to perform at more than 200 shows at 69 military bases through late October.
The tour was created in 2008 to help service members and their Families deal with a variety of challenges, from deployments and homecomings to frequent relocations. Jessica Ryan, commercial sponsorship coordinator for Fort Benning's Directorate of Family and Morale Welfare and Recreation said the show is an effective way for military children and their parents to deal with unique challenges.
"The tour is a great event for military Families; not only is it free but it a show designed to educate children about current issues going on their lives," she said. "A lot of children are dealing with things such as coping with deployments, unexpected loss of a Family member and Sesame Street does a excellent job of bringing those lessons to children in an entertaining way."
The show features Elmo and other Sesame Street favorites helping their friend Katie to open up about her fears and excitement as she deals with moving to a new place and making new friends. Katie is military child who was created for the tour and was first introduced to military Families in April 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at a Joining Forces rally in Columbus, Ohio.
Now in its sixth year, the Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families has visited more than 412,000 military children and their parents across 144 military bases across the U.S. and 11 countries.
This event is free for active-duty Families, but guests must have a ticket to attend, as space is limited.
"If you want a good spot, it's best that you get there early," Ryan said. " It's a great event and we want everyone to have a good time."
Tickets are available at Tickets & Travel in the Commissary Mall. Limit six tickets per Family with military ID. For more information about the show, visit www.uso.org/sesame/.
Social Sharing