Operation Caring Classroom comes to Belvoir

Letters of support are a welcomed sight to any military family, particularly children who have a parent deployed overseas for a long period of time. That's why the Armed Forces Foundation decided to come up with a solution to help make things easier for all involved.

Through a partnership program called Operation Caring Classroom, the foundation has united school children across the country with their peers in military communities.

The program provides an opportunity for civilian students to learn about military life while supporting Soldiers and acknowledging the sacrifices of their families.

Just three years old, the program expanded this year to include 50 military schools, as well as 50 public schools in the U.S. Making the list for the first time is Fort Belvoir Elementary School, which will correspond with Margaret Black Elementary School in Sterling Heights, Mich., and Bamber Valley Elementary School in Rochester, Minn.

According to Gwen Jefferson, a parent liaison for the program at Belvoir Elementary, the concept originated as a way of offering support and remembrance during Veterans Day. However, due to its popularity, the Armed Forces Foundation decided to extend the program for the remainder of the school year - amid much acclaim from parents, teachers and students.

"It's a fantastic program that recognizes service families and gives our kids an opportunity to interact with others their own age," Jefferson said. "They can write letters back and forth and can learn what life is like from each other. This is our first time doing this, so we're all looking forward to it."

Besides letters, Jefferson said students will also exchange crossword puzzles, coloring books and school supplies with one another. Just recently, students at Margaret Black Elementary created a quilt made up of six-inch squares with messages of support for students at Belvoir.

In response to the gesture, Jefferson said students will work on activity books on how to make flags and how to properly honor veterans for their friends back in Michigan.

"The entire school will be involved with this. The program may be narrowed down to certain grades, but that's undecided right now," Jefferson said. "I guess that's a good problem to have. We can't wait to
get started with this."

For more information about Operation Caring Classroom, visit www.armed.forcesfoundation.org.