Camp Corral, at the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center off Shenandoah National Park, is among dozens of camps that have sprung up across the country since Sept. 11, 2001, to bring military children together for a summer respite of adventure, new friends and simple fun, said Terry Buchanan, youth initiatives director of the National Military Family Association. The group created camps called Operation Purple, serving about 1,200 children across the U.S. each summer.
That support may come in the form of trained counselors, who can listen to a child’s concerns, or exploring nature with new friends. The children of these families face challenges beyond those typical to growing up, often having to relocate and deal with injury or loss of a parent abroad.
Physical injuries are obvious to the children, but sometimes the mental trauma that comes with serving in a war zone is tough for children to grapple with, said Betsey Fortlouis, executive director of Camp Corral, which holds 22 camp sessions in 16 states, partnering with various accredited camps, such as those hosted by the YMCA and 4-H.
[For more of this story, written by Karen Chen, go to http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/at-camps-military-children-get-to-be-a-kid-for/article_c11ec762-f258-590e-bb07-77e588e2ec90.html]
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