FORT RUCKER, Ala. (February 27, 2015) -- The facts of life for military children include times when the nation calls, and their Soldier mom or dad must pack up their gear and head out on deployment many miles away.
The Fort Rucker Primary School staff realizes military children deal with special challenges and hosts a deployment club to help ease the burden the nation puts on military children and their parents, according to Dr. Debbie Deas, principle at the school.
Children identified as having a deployed parent are welcomed into the club that meets each week throughout the year to make arts and crafts and talk about issues with the two primary volunteers for the effort, Rene Hammond, guidance counselor at the school, and Yvette Esteves-Hurst, Spanish teacher at the school.
"We feel it is important to be a part of the community, and to support our parents and the students when they're experiencing a deployment. It also lets the Soldier who is deployed know that he has a connection with us," Deas said. "It just provides (the children) an additional layer of people, so that they know that they are loved and wanted, and they have someone to speak to if they need extra support."
But the program is for the parents, too, as evidenced by the club's culminating event, a deployment tea, which took place Feb. 20 at Corvias'Allen Heights Neighborhood Center -- no children allowed.
"This is time for them," said Esteves-Hurst about the 10 parents invited to the deployment tea, including two Soldiers recently returned from deployment. "It's an honor and a privilege to work with military children. Fort Rucker Primary School is a great place for children to grow."
Throughout the year, Esteves-Hurst and Hammond send the arts and crafts the children make, along with care packages with food and other favorites, to the deployed Soldiers, along with an email newsletter updating the parent on what has been going on at the school and a photo of their child.
"They love that part," Esteves-Hurst said. "It's voluntary for us. But it's a need -- we are in a military community. Those children need it -- extra time to feel special … and they like it."
Hammond agreed.
"Everything we do at Fort Rucker Primary School, we do collaboratively," she said. "And so we work together to make it happen, not only for the children, but the parents also."
One of those parents, Darlene Shannon, is thrilled with the program.
"I love it because the kids stay involved and learn things," she said. "They are able to send things, and I know my husband loves getting things. He actually stops production in the office when he gets an email (from the school) -- everyone stops and comes over and sees what the email is about.
"They do such a good job at the primary school -- always something," Shannon added. "They're always keeping you updated on what your kids are doing. And the kids are always excited about doing the projects and showing their parents what they're doing at school."
At the tea, the parents were treated to a slide presentation recapping all that went on with the club throughout the year -- including Operation Celebration around Christmas when the entire school got together to make crafts and care packages for the entire units of the deployed Soldiers. The tea also included food and, of course, tea, along with care packages for the parents that included gifts from Military OneSource, Corvias, tickets to a circus in the area and personalized crafts made by their children.
"I really want to thank Lisa Patrick from Corvias -- she does so much to help us with this," Esteves-Hurst said.
And, in turn, the parents thanked the volunteers from the school.
"I think it's a great program. My children enjoy being involved in it," Paula Olson said. "Their father loves getting emails and packages and things they send. It's nice to have more than just the connection that I'm trying to keep up with him, but having the school help with the connection with their dad while their dad is gone is very nice."
"It's a wonderful program and I'm very glad that they have it available to us," Shannon added. "Everybody involved with it at the school is wonderful."
And that's music to the ears of those who make it happen.
"We are thrilled to be able to have a part in their lives," Deas said.
Related Links:
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