Features:

To Help...

“If you really want to make a difference, volunteer to help a military family,” Maj. Ted Daley said. “Give them one less thing to worry about.” He had these tips to offer:
• Pray for all military families.
• Bring a meal to a military family.
• Offer to baby-sit or pay for a baby-sitter, so the spouse can have a night off.
• Mow the family’s lawn every week. If you’re handy, ask for a list of five things that need fixing.
• Start a free weekend for military families at an area Lutheran camp.
• Say “Thank you” to a member of the military. “That’s worth more than a medal or a ribbon,” he said.
To learn more or support Camp Onomia’s free weekend for military families, contact: Camp Onomia, 14202 Shakopee Lake Rd., Onamia, MN 56359.

And a day camp

Agency offers getaway for military children

Camp Noah, an outreach of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, partners with the Minnesota Army National Guard to offer free day camps for children whose parents are or were deployed to Iraq or the Middle East, specifically those whose deployment has been extended.

At Camp Onomia Nikki Harris, 9, works on a gift for her father, Michael, while her mother Lawre, looks on. Nikki's father is in the military, serving in Iraq.

Under the theme “A Soldier’s Coming Home,” Camp Noah offers a weeklong program at sites in Brainerd, Duluth, Moorhead, the Twin Cities and Mankato, all in Minnesota. Kindergarteners through sixth-graders share their experiences through creative play, relationship-building and a special curriculum to help build resilience, facilitate healing and strengthen the children’s faith.

National Guard units in other states are considering duplicating the program. Integration dialogue expert James Gambone, who helped write the curriculum and train counselors, said it may be “the only program across the country for young children addressing this need.”

Now in its 10th year, Camp Noah first reached out to children after the Midwest floods. Since then its reach has included children affected by Sept. 11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. To volunteer or give financial support, contact Cindy Johnson of LSSM at 651-969-2368. Leaders also ask for prayer support for Camp Noah, LSSM and military families.