SCHINNEN, The Netherlands -- For military children, it is sometimes hard to leave friends, a familiar school and neighborhood, especially when they have to move a different country and learn a new language and culture.
However, Elmo and his friends were able to deliver comfort and laughter to military families in Schinnen and Brussels as the Sesame Street/United Services Organization Experience for Military Families stopped in those U.S. Army Garrison Benelux communities Oct. 17 and 19, respectively, during their two-month tour in Europe.
In the performance, Katie, a military kid on Sesame Street, found out that she is moving to a new military base. Luckily, her friends Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, Honker and Rosita were able to help her with this big change.
The Sesame Street characters visit military bases around the world to educate families about the unique challenges of military life. According the USO website, the tour has evolved to meet the changing needs and challenges military families face.
Fred Mursch, the company manager, said the tour offers two themed shows -- a "Moving" and "Transition" show -- and the base they perform on can choose which one they want to have.
The "Moving" show was performed at Schinnen and Brussels where the audience watched the Sesame Street gang helped Katie with challenges such as preparing for her move and saying goodbye to old friends.
Mursch also added that what is most important, besides families enjoying the performances, is that the shows serve as icebreakers for children and parents to talk about these challenges.
The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families has toured the globe since July 2008, making it the longest-running traveling tour in the USO's 76-year history. Based on Sesame Workshop's award-winning Sesame Street for Military Families initiative, the tour has performed more than 1,100 shows on 150 military installations in 33 states and 11 countries and distributed more than 2.8 million outreach materials, entertaining nearly 600,000 service members and military families through the magic of song, dance, and beloved characters.
To get resources such as tips, tools and activities for military children, visit Sesame Street for Military Families at http://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org.
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