Operation Purple Family Retreat Facts

Operation Purple Summer Camp Facts

Media Contact

Jason Lourie, 312.240.2925,  Jason.Lourie@edelman.com

Bailey Bernius, 703.931.6632, BBernius@MilitaryFamily.org

2010 OPERATION PURPLE® CAMP LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED

National Military Family Association offers camp at 68 locations, including Germany.

ALEXANDRIA, VA  February 16, 2010 — The National Military Family Association is excited to announce the locations for the 2010 Operation Purple summer camps. This free summer camp program was developed by the Association to support military children dealing with the stress of war. The seventh summer of Operation Purple camps will host children at 67 locations in 37 states as well as 2 overseas locations.

States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Overseas: Guam, Germany.

Information about the camp program, eligibility, and camp locations is available online at www.militaryfamily.org. Specific camp information will be available when registration opens on March 15, 2010. Until then, interested families can sign up to receive email notices and announcements on the website.

Camps are free to all participants thanks to support from the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Inspired by nature, we are 1.3 million of your friends and neighbors, working together to protect our communities and the planet. The Sierra Club's Military Families Outdoors program connects military veterans, service members and their families with the mental and physical benefits of outdoor experiences. We are working to ensure that those military families making the greatest sacrifices for our country have the opportunity to benefit from the healing powers of our natural heritage. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/military.

About the National Military Family Association

Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation's leaders. To learn more, visit www.MilitaryFamily.org.

• The National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple Summer Camps provide military children with tools that help them deal with the stresses deployment brings. For many children, the stress of parental deployment causes anger, unruly behavior and withdrawal.
• The goal of Operation Purple Summer Camps is to impart the message to our nation's youngest heroes that "Kids Serve Too."
• The program helps military kids experience carefree fun while learning coping skills to deal with war-related stress and fostering relationships with other kids in similar situations.
• This year, more than 92 weeks of camps will be held at 68 locations in 37 states and two overseas locations. More than 9,000 deserving military children will attend the camps. Since Operation Purple’s implementation, the National Military Family Association has sent more than 30,000 military kids to camp for free. 
• Operation Purple Summer Camp is the only program open to children of personnel from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces ("purple" representing inclusion of all branches) that focuses on helping military children deal with the challenges and stress that comes with deployment. 
• Operation Purple Summer Camps are free of charge to military kids, and made possible by sponsors including the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation. 

• Operation Purple Family Retreats are designed to allow families to reconnect after experiencing the stresses surrounding a deployment.
• At each retreat, participants are paired with highly specialized field science educators and staff members who guide families through various activities such as nature hikes, canoeing, campfires, and beach exploration to promote family growth and enhance communications skills.
• This year, eight Family Retreats will be held at various National Park locations during spring, summer, and fall. Retreats begin on Fridays and conclude the following Monday.
• Operation Purple Family Retreats are open to service members and their families who have experienced deployment within the last 15 months. To be eligible, service members must have returned from deployment no less than 3 months and no more than 15 months prior to the start date of each retreat.
• Operation Purple Family Retreats are free of charge to military families, and made possible by sponsors including the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation.