Military Families and Veterans Initiative

Celebration of the Military Child Outside!

I spent two years in Colorado prior to my joining the Sierra Club and heading back east to DC. In Colorado, I was always aware of two great resources: the outdoors and the strong military community. Often times it did not seem like all Coloradans paid enough attention to either of them. It is easy to take the mountains and rivers for granted in Colorado. We will get outside tomorrow, next week or next summer. As beautiful as those mountains and rivers can look, they can also be imposing, frightening and hard to get to. Who has the time, money or experience to get outside?

Others may feel the same way about our military and veteran community. They look sharp in parades. We’re proud of their service. We might thank them when we see them around town or we might put a Support the Troops ribbon magnet on our car. But, just like the outdoors, the military community and veterans can be imposing, frightening and hard to get to. What do you say to a man or woman who has just come home from war? Why do all the men have such short hair? How do you get involved with a veteran or military family when you know all the horrible statistics? Eighteen veterans a day committing suicide, higher rates of divorce and children with more anxiety than non-military families. These sobering facts are just the start.

We often forget that it isn’t just the uniformed members of our Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve. Military kids, families and close friends also serve. The service may look different, but it is no less important than what is happening on post or overseas. The needs of these military children are also great. Recognizing those needs and marrying the struggles and opportunities of being a military kid or family together with the great outdoors just might be an effective part of the solution for truly serving military kids, families and veterans. The Sierra Club teamed up with UpaDowna, an initiative of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation and the National Military Family Association, to ensure the Colorado Springs military and veteran community could learn how to get outside this past Sunday, July 17 at America the Beautiful Park. More than 20 local and regional partners from state parks to national monuments showed up to provide information and activities for close to 400 of our youngest heroes and their families.

What we learned was that there was a need, a desire, to bring the two communities together, the outdoors and the military. What we were not surprised to find out either is that events like these do not happen enough in Colorado Springs or elsewhere. Community members who were not military enjoyed enjoyed meeting the diversity of families and experiences that come to their area to serve in the military and many commented on making new friends. Many participants were pleasantly shocked about the myriad experiences awaiting them in their backyard to get outside and were able to enroll their families in upcoming outdoor education and recreation programs.

People asked us if we were going to do the event again next year, if we would do it again this year, and if we were ‘on tour’ throughout America’s military communities to get everyone outside, not just the Springs community.

While we’re not on tour this year, maybe we will be next year, helping to bring together all the different organizations that exist to get you outside in a military community near you! Together, we can change the world, but it starts at the community level, not the national level. And to that end, I’d like to close my first blog for the Sierra Club with a huge shout out to both UpaDowna and our local Pikes Peak region Sierra Club who were co-sponsors of the event. Without either of these fantastic organizations, we would not have enjoyed the success of yesterday. Here’s to new friends outside!

--by Stacy Bare, National Military and Veteran Representative

Is national security another reason kids should be spending more time outdoors?

The increasing waistline of American children and adults is a pervading topic nowadays. Even with Subway officially overtaking McDonald’s perch at the top of the fast food chains and Beyonce stepping in to lend a hand to First Lady’s Michelle Obama’s Lets Move! campaign, the numbers are still sobering—about one-third of American adults is obese and one in three American children is either overweight or obese. This monumental weight gain within the past generation—a total of 39 million pounds, or an average of 37 pounds per person—has already had consequences for almost all facets of American life. What will happen to America’s armed forces when this generation becomes “unfit to fight?”

Last week, Mission: Readiness, an organization of retired generals, admirals and other senior military leaders, working to ensure American youth have the foundation to serve in the military, should they choose to do so, participated in a briefing on Capitol Hill to address this question. Hosted by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), “Leveraging the School Environment to Improve Nutrition, Prevent Obesity, and Maintain National Security,” brought together a panel of experts to discuss a statistic that reflects the broadening consequences of obesity rates: 75 percent of 17-24 year olds are unable to qualify for military service because of a lack of high school degree, criminal record or obesity.

According to the panel of armed forces and education officials, obesity, military strength and national security are all linked—if today’s generation is too unfit to serve in the military, the armed forces will suffer a lack of qualified candidates. Retired Lieutenant General in the US Air Force Norman Seip, retired Lieutenant General in the US Marine Corps Carol Mutter, retired major general for the US Army George Alexander and director of food services for Franklin Township Community Schools in Indianapolis Courtney Williams spoke on the strategies to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. All of the speakers stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach involving nutrition and physical activity, and the role of schools as a starting point for encouraging healthy eating habits and appropriate levels of physical activity.

Increased physical education, a return to “scratch cooking” and “stealth health” initiatives were all suggested by the panel, which emphasized the role of school in a child’s life and learned habits - around 40% of a child’s calories are consumed during the school day. Recess, the traditional break for physical activity in elementary schools, is often overlooked in light of budget cuts and increased emphasis on standardized testing. About 7 to 13 percent of public elementary schools do not have recess, and for those who do, the break averages only 23.8 to 27.7 minutes a day. Studies have shown that time spent outdoors during recess or organized school activities can increase physical activity, engage children in nature and help kids maintain a healthy weight.

The issues and solutions discussed by Senator Lugar, Mission: Readiness and other speakers reinforce the importance of the work being done to reconnect kids with nature. In April, Sierra Club announced $1 million in grants as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Joining Forces” initiative to support military families. Sierra Club’s Military Families Outdoors initiative is partnering with the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple® and the YMCA of the USA to send thousands of military children to camp this summer. With families struggling to deal with the emotional and financial pressures of two wars, the outdoors can help relieve the stresses of military deployment while ensuring a new generation of healthy kids with the physical fitness to achieve their goals – whatever they may be.  

--by Jackie Kantor, BBTO summer intern