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New Program Honors Military Kids And Their Friends with Fun
When Department of Defense and USO officials created the "Me and a Friend" program, Kelsie Vick was one of those they had in mind. After moving IU times with her father, Army Master Sergeant John Vick, Kelsie knows as well as anyone the sacrifices military children make.
But on July 4, any thoughts of long separations, frequent moves and parents in war zones took a back seat as Kelsie and three of her friends joined her family and hundreds of other military families at Nationals Park, Washington. D.C.. for the Washington Nationals' Independence Day baseball game against the New York Mets.
The game marked the kickoff of the USO's "Me and a Friend" program, which provides free tickets to major league sporting events, theater performances, museums and other venues for military children and their friends.
Many major and minor league sports teams recognize military personnel. USO Vice President Kevin Wensing said, and the "Me and a Friend" program builds on that by bringing the focus to military children.
"We thought it would be nice if some of the attention were on the kids and their sacrifices too," he said.
Nationals President Stan Kasten said he was happy to donate 1 OO tickets to the program, and that he plans to donate more in the fu Iu re and encourage olher teams to do the same. "When you think about kids being separated from their parents in their service to the country, we can't do enough for them," he said,
The 100 tickets were among 5,000 the Nationals donated to military members and their families for three home games during the July Fourth weekend Kasten said. He added that the "Me and a Friend" program will complement the team's other military-related outreach efforts, including honoring military families during the third inning of...