WASHINGTON – There is a brand new support system for the nation’s nearly 2 million children whose parents are in the military.
The Mil Kidz Club, created by the nonprofit Blue Star Families, connects military kids around the country and the world.
“It’s specifically designed to support and honor military kids and to give military children a chance to connect with each other,” says Mark Smith, executive director of Blue Star Families.
Smith says those connections are especially important during tough times, like when a parent is deployed.
“Over 2 million kids in the last decade have sent a parent off to war, sometimes two parents,” he says.
He adds that kids are suffering from 10 years of war, but unlike their parents, they didn’t sign up for military service.
The program is an effort to focus on what is affecting military kids and to let them know that they have a place where they can turn.
The Mil Kidz Club launched just before April, which is the Month of the Military Child.
WTOP’s Kathy Stewart contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
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