April is the Month of the Military Child 

Guest blog by Gabriele Barnett, 2018-2019 National Junior Activities Committee Vice Chair

There are many ways to involve your Juniors with your Month of the Military Child activities.

One of the Juniors’ favorites is the Military Child Table Setting Ceremony. Inspired by the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action ceremony, the Military Child Table Setting Ceremony honors the sacrifices and contributions of our military children. It’s a very powerful ceremony made even more so when presented by Juniors and young Sons of The American Legion members.

Each element represents different aspects of struggles in the life of a military child. The full script can be downloaded from the Children & Youth page when you log into the Members Only section of our website at www.ALAforVeterans.org.

NOTE: If you’re unable to meet in person during the month of April, you could read the ceremony script through a video or phone chat and perform the actual ceremony at a later date. Be creative and think outside the box!

>Another easy way to involve your Juniors is for them to participate in Purple Up! Day for Military Kids. This year, the Military Child Education Coalition (www.militarychild.org) will celebrate military kids on April 3. Encourage your Juniors to wear purple that day to support military kids. Purple is considered the color of military kids as all the colors of the U.S. military combined make purple.

Whatever your Juniors decide to do, be sure to take pictures and share them with us at JuniorActivities@ALAforVeterans.org.

Let’s give these children a big salute for their sacrifices.