Washington, D.C. – Families United, the nation’s largest military family organization serving America’s Blue and Gold Star families, hosts “Camp Desert Kids” today, an educational event for children with a parent currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The event, which takes place at the Corregidor Court/Bougainville Neighborhood Center at Fort Bragg, gives military children a chance to better understand the deployment of their parent. Said Families United Executive Director Brian Wise, “Deployment is challenging for children, not only because they don’t understand the separation from their parent, but also because they have trouble conceptualizing where Mom or Dad have gone. Hopefully, we’ve given them a chance to experience deployment with their homefront parent in a unique way”. Families United also welcomes Lt. General Frank Helmick, Commanding General of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg and Garrison Commander Colonel Stephen Sicinski to the event.

“Camp Desert Kids” is the latest outreach for Families United, who hosts events for Gold and Blue Star Families around the country. “Our hope is to give back to families that are making huge sacrifices for the freedoms we enjoy” said Wise.