Calling all military children, past and present! The City of Clarksville would like to invite all military children for a Month of the Military Child event the City is hosting on Saturday, April 9, at City Hall, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to recognize and honor the sacrifices military children make to our nation.
The event, which includes a sponsorship from USO - Fort Campbell, will feature over ten fun, kid-friendly events eagerly organized by specific City departments, said City Clerk and event lead organizer Lisa Canfield. There will be a bounce house, shaved ice, fire trucks, and more fun for the whole family.
“I am so excited about Month of the Military Child and beyond grateful to Mayor Pitts for letting us run with this,” Canfield said. “Our military children deserve so much for bearing the costs our nation demands of them without their choice. So, in April, our City will demonstrate how dedicated we are to our young military superheroes by offering a myriad of fun games and activities.”
This event is free to attend, but we encourage our military families to sign up via Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/3tKQXYU. The registration gives City staff an estimated number of how many goodies to attain since this is the first time the City is hosting this event.
City of Clarksville Month of the Military Child Proclamation
On Thursday, April 7, during a City Council Regular Session, Mayor Joe Pitts will read a proclamation declaring April as the Month of the Military Child. The proclamation will demonstrate the City of Clarksville’s appreciation to all military children, past and present, for their courage and unconditional support to their military parents.
Purple Up! For Military Kids Day
To continue the celebration of the Month of the Military Child, the City would like to encourage the community to “Purple Up! For Military Kids Day” on Friday, April 15. Purple references the joint environment of the military, encompassing all service branches, Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, and Veterans. Purple combines each branch’s colors into one: the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard all use shades of blue, the Army uses green, and the Marines use red.
To show your support and raise awareness about the sacrifices military children make, we challenge you to wear your best purple outfit or “paint” your business purple. To do the latter, we recommend putting purple wreaths, ribbons, bows, or some other creative way to celebrate the day. Share your best “Purple Up!” photos with us on social media, where the public can vote on the image with the most “Purple Up!” spirit, creativity, and use of the color purple. Please use #MOMCClarksvilleTN and #PurpleUpClarksvilleTN on social media.
What is the Month of the Military Child
In 1986, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger commemorated April as the Month of the Military Child. The Month of the Military Child is supported by the Department of Defense military community and other organizations to emphasize the importance of providing military children with support and quality services to help them prosper in a mobile lifestyle.
According to Veteran.com, approximately 2 million children have experienced a parental deployment since 9/11. There are currently 1.2 million military children of active-duty members worldwide. Nearly 80% of those military children attend public schools throughout the U.S. The average military family moves three times more often than their civilian counterpart.