According to the Washington National Guard Child & Youth Program, there are currently more than 1.7 million military children under the age of 18 in the United States, over 50,000 of those in Washington State. This is a sobering statistic but one everyone can support on Thursday, April 17 for this year’s Purple Up! For Military Kids.
Locally hosted by Olympia’s Garden Courte Memory Care Community, Purple Up! honors families from all branches of service by blending their uniform colors into a festive purple. Everyone is invited to wear their purplest clothing, be it shirt, dress, socks, or headband…every little bit counts.
The website dosomething.org is a group of almost 3 million young adults who eagerly engage for meaningful causes and social change. Their statistics on military families are powerful: since 2001, over 2 million children have had a parent deployed at least once and military families relocate approximately every 2-3 years. This makes the normal struggles of growing up that much harder.
By the simple act of wearing purple, military families can readily see how the community bands together to celebrate their struggles, sacrifice, and strength. Garden Courte is asking local residents to send their ‘Purple Pictures’ via email gardenmkg1@islllc.com) for inclusion on their Facebook and Pinterest pages. They hope to build a tremendous online photo gallery full of supportive comments, photos, and good wishes.
April is the month of the military child and that’s a cause we can all support. Garden Courte has long hosted fundraisers supporting Thurston County families, currently accepting coats for kids in partnership with the Little Red Schoolhouse and food to fill shelves for Senior Services ‘Meals on Wheels.’
Any questions about this event or any other hosted by Garden Courte can be directed to 360-339-5080. No matter where you spend Thursday, April 17, make sure you’re grateful, thankful, and very, very purple!
