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Most people think of the color green when they think of 4-H, but on April 10th, 4-H youth and volunteers in Florida will be sporting the color purple to show support for our military families.  When we think of honoring our military, we often think of Memorial Day and Veterans Day.  Did you know there is also a time identified to honor military children?  Since 1986, April has been designated Month of the Military Child. This allows us to honor military children for their commitment and sacrifice. Here in the Florida Panhandle we have over 27,800 military youth who deal with situations like having their parents in harm’s way when they deploy.

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Imagine if someone close to you were deployed.  Would you like to see all the news reports showing bombs exploding and people shooting at each other?  How would you feel about having long and repeated separations when your parent misses important events like birthdays, holidays, school and sporting events? Would you like it if your family had frequent relocations/moves?  Every time families move, children have to make new friends, get used to new schools, and find new 4-H clubs and teams to join.

A lot of military children take these changes in stride and some even thrive on them, but it is hard also – kids have to rebuild their world every time they move.  UF/IFAS Extension and 4-H are proud to be a part of the military family working with youth centers across the nation to have some consistency for youth in these situations and who are making these moves. Here locally we want you to join us in showing your support.

So what can you do to show them that we appreciate their sacrifices?

1. Participate in the 4th annual Purple Up! For Military Kids Wear purple on Friday, April 10th, as a visible way to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifices. Why purple? Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is the combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red and Navy blue.

2. Ask others to Purple Up! We hope everyone will take this opportunity to appreciate and celebrate these young heroes and to thank military families for their support and the freedoms they provide us by their service and sacrifices.  Here are a few ideas:

  • Ask your local, regional, state, and federal officials to wear purple on April 10thpurple up logo
  • Engage fraternal organizations, social clubs, and Rotary groups
  • Request local businesses to post a Purple Up! message on their roadside signs
  • Ask stores and restaurants to put a Purple Up! flyer in their business window
  • Suggest companies and businesses ask their employees to wear purple
  • Invite coworkers, as well as members of your spiritual community, exercise class, or golf league to join you in showing support for the military youth in your town by wearing purple on April 10th.

For more information, contact Paula Davis, Ed.D. at the Bay County Extension Office at 850-784-6105.  All programs are open to all persons regardless of race, color, age, sex, handicap or national origin.