Power Behind the Power

May 9th is Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Appropriately celebrated every May on the Friday before Mother’s Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day is a recognized as part of National Military Appreciation Month. At a celebration at the White House, Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates fittingly referred to military spouses as the “power behind the power.” Today on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, NMFA applauds all military spouses for their courage and their service. Read more.

Nominate Your Exceptional Volunteer for the NMFA VIP Award The Very Important Patriot (VIP) Award recognizes exceptional volunteers worldwide whose outstanding service contributes to improving the quality of life in their military and/or neighboring communities. Due to the challenges of the current pace of military operations, volunteers are playing an increasing role in providing support and stability in their communities. The role of active volunteers has become a critical element in mission readiness. NMFA and the VIP Award sponsors want to recognize those volunteers whose selfless actions have made a lasting impact on their community.  Find out more or Nominate your exceptional volunteer today!

Free Summer Camp for Military Kids REGISTRATION EXTENDED IN SOME LOCATIONS Operation Purple® camps offer a free week of summer fun for military kids with parents who have been, are currently, or will be deployed. This year, 100 weeks of camps will be held at 62 locations in 37 states and territories. Campers from all service branches will gather together to experience a memorable week of fun and adventure with a focus on learning coping skills to better deal with a parent's deployment. Find out which camps are still accepting applications and register today.

NFL Players Tackle SAT & ACT Test Prep In cooperation with the Department of Defense (DoD), eKnowledge Corporation, a leading supplier of interactive test preparation products for college entrance exams, along with a group of NFL players, have donated more than $16 million worth of multimedia SAT/ACT Test preparation products to service members and their families worldwide. Now in its fourth year, the eKnowledge/NFL player sponsorship effort has shipped more the 90,000 free SAT/ACT test preparation programs, valued at $200, to military service members and their families. <<more>>

Sesame Workshop Launches Phase Two of Military Families Outreach Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, today launched Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes, the second phase of the Workshop's military outreach program launched initially in 2006. The initiative provides support and offers significant resources for military families with young children experiencing the effects of deployments, multiple deployments or when a parent returns home changed due to a combat related injury. <<more>>