Military Family Outreach

Military Family Outreach, Cape Cod Extension is a cape-wide effort to sustain the work begun by the Department of Defense’s now retired Operation Military Kids Program (2005-2010). As an original member of the statewide Operation Military Kids team and the coordinator of Operation Military Kids, Cape Cod (since 2007), Kerry Bickford has supported geographically dispersed families and provided camping opportunities for children with families in the deployment cycle, as well as veterans and their families. Kerry has also planned special holiday events for families experiencing a deployment, as well as after-school and other enrichment activities for youth in these families.

The focus of Military Family Outreach, Cape Cod Extension (MFOCCE) has expanded to include not only those families in the deployment cycle, but also those experiencing reunion and reintegration. One of the significant changes that we, as a society, have undergone in recent years is awareness that not only are deployments hard, but homecoming and reintegration can be, and often is, even harder. Many Cape Cod families have experienced multiple deployments in one household, including one or both parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. These families learn to cope with much uncertainty and stress while their loved one is serving, and communication is not always consistent. The military has embraced the concept of resilience, and has worked hard over the past ten years to help warriors develop resiliency in the face of the stressors and losses they may encounter (When the Warrior Returns, 2012). With programs like MFOCCE, and so many others that have joined forces in our community, we are attempting to reach out to military families who live and work in this community, and offer as much local support as we can.

As a youth development professional for most of my career, I have seen a great deal of research devoted to the identification of protective factors in the face of environmental stressors. Much of the research indicates that resilient outcomes are likely to be present when there are protective factors in place, similar to the five promises identified by America’s Promise Alliance (Caring Adults, Safe Places, Effective Education, a Healthy Start and Opportunities to Serve Others). These five promises continue to guide my work on behalf of all youth and are a compass compass for the work we are doing for military families on Cape Cod.

FIT Family Camp ~ July 9-13, 2018

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Saddle Up & Learn – Resiliency, Respect & Responsibility ~ July 23-27, 2018

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