As The Month of the Military Child comes to a close, it’s important to recognize not only the kids themselves, but also those organizations that work tirelessly all year long to help support them. Our 10 year old daughter, Jessi, is a very hard worker and was nominated by her third grade teacher—without our knowledge—for the National Young Scholars Program, a prestigious one-week summer camp for students who continually demonstrated a positive work ethic and academic achievement.
NYSP is only for students in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade and is a renaissance of interactive, hands-on learning for young leaders eager for knowledge and ready to celebrate the joy of discovery. According to Jessi’s teacher, no other program of this depth and magnitude exists. Jessi is in fourth grade, and has attended four different schools in three different states. Our little one has soldiered on through her dad’s two deployments, four moves, and the daily stresses that all military kids face.
Imagine our delight and surprise when we learned that Jessi had been accepted to the program! This was just what she needed to give her a boost! Our high spirits lasted only until we saw the price tag for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: $1,995 not including transportation costs. Two thousand dollars – for ONE WEEK! As with most military families, this was going to be out of our reach. We really felt like Jessi deserved to go but knew we could not afford it on our own. I went searching online for any kind of help I could find. In my search, many turned me down, but then I came across a nonprofit organization called Little Patriots Embraced.
Little Patriots not only agreed to help, but covered the entire tuition cost. Their offer to pay the full tuition blew us all away with its generosity. Now that the tuition was covered, we would be able to provide the travel costs and other necessities Jessi needed to attend. We, as a family, have never received this type of generosity just because of our military service. Like most military families, we’ve received military discounts at local businesses, but nothing of this magnitude or scope. I can’t exactly express the way it made me feel, the closest I can come is silent tears. We are beyond grateful for those who recognize the challenges military children face, and are willing to support them in word and in deed.
Military kids rock! And so do those that support them!
Do you have a story of encouragement to share from your family? We’d love to hear it!
Jessica Davis is a proud Army wife and mother of two girls, aged 4 and 10. She has been Household 6 through one 6-month and one 15-month deployment when her husband served in Iraq. Jessica serves at TroopSwap’s Director of Community Outreach for the North Carolina market.
About TroopSwap and Troop ID Founded by two Army Rangers, our team is dedicated to working with reputable, military-friendly businesses to bring special deals and everyday discounts to verified active service members, veterans, and their families. TroopSwap provides hand-selected daily deals and military discounts for businesses near you. Troop ID is the first technology platform that verifies military or veteran status online, enabling top brands to securely deliver benefits and discounts to the military community through e-commerce. Troop ID’s Single Sign On allows members of the military community to access discounts, veteran skill training vouchers, and government benefits safely and securely online.
What a great story – so encouraging to see the organizations that help military kids year round.
Good luck, Jessi! Great read!
Awesome! Love our military kids!
Way To Go, Jessi!!! We’re so proud of your accomplishments and your strong desire to learn. We know you’ll do really well in this endeavor, and we are praying for your successes. Keep up the good work. We know Mom and Dad,are really proud of you. Love adn Hugs from us….. 8-}
This is a great story and sounds like a great opportunity! Way to go Jessi!!