Within the military community November is an important month, filled with gatherings and events to celebrate the strengths of all members of military families and to put a spotlight on the unique challenges of military life.

There are a few organizations devoted to addressing pressing needs within military families that we want to highlight.
The National Military Family Association for over 50 years has created programs to support family well-being. Currently, many military families face food insecurity, access to affordable child care, military spouse unemployment or underemployment and teen mental health challenges.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization that supports military caregivers, including children and adolescents who care for parents with visible and invisible wounds. Using research on the impact of caregiving on the lives of military children, and partnering with Wounded Warrior Project and other organizations, EDF created effective programs like Hidden Heroes to support military caregiver kids.

BLOOM is a website created by military teens for military teens, who built a worldwide community through writing. The platform helps them to cope with the disruptions of moving every 2-3 years, connect with friends they had to leave, and give guidance on navigating new homes, new countries and new schools. It's a special place for military teens to share emotions and challenges they face while also showcasing their art, adventures, music and poetry.

These and many more organizations contribute enormously to military families and we thank them.

Memorial Day is an important and solemn day to remember, appreciate, and think about the costs of war and the loss of precious lives to war. Our part at the Veteran Children Project in paying tribute to all who lost their lives is to continue to share our short documentary film, Veteran Children: When Parents Go To War.

Already in 2023 the film has resonated with more audiences around the world, receiving awards at the Sydney Indie Short Film Festival, Dublin World Film Festival, Munich Short Film Awards, and Austin International Film Festival.
 
We are humbled and honored to play a small role in telling important stories of military service and sacrifice.

April is the Month of the Military Child, a time when the military community honors and celebrates the 2 million military children whose parents are currently active-duty service members in the US and around the globe.

Military children and families face many unique challenges of military life -- they move every 2-3 years on average, leave old friends, start new schools, and often learn new customs, cultures and languages when assigned to other countries. They frequently experience significant periods of time without a parent who is away training or deployed.

We want to express our appreciation to non-military organizations that have made April 2023 fun and enriching for military children.

These include: Disney World, Legoland, Universal Studios, National Parks and numerous zoos and aquariums for providing free or discounted admission. Old Navy, LLBean, Under Armour, Wrangler, Crocs, Nike and Reebok helped keep costs down on clothing, sports and school apparel for military children.

Tutor.com and eKnowledge provide free or discounted academic support. Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michael’s gave discounts on craft and school supplies.

Thank you to the many other companies and local community events that recognize and support military children in the month of April and throughout the year.

While working on our film about what American military children experience when their parents go to war, we never imagined that their stories would resonate so strongly with audiences around the world. Once again, they have.

We are so pleased that we won Best Short Documentary Film at the Rio de Janeiro World Film Festival this summer.
At the Paris Women Festival in August we were selected the semi-finalist.

Thank you, to both of these international film festivals!

On this Memorial Day 2022 in Boston, it could not be a more beautiful day of warm sunshine, blue skies and
billowy white clouds which makes even more poignant the scene of thousands of flags placed in orderly rows
across a wide expanse of historic Boston Common, each one signifying -- this was a life lost in service to our
country.  Tributes honoring the fallen brought people together today in cities and towns across the nation.

At the Veteran Children Project we add our sincerest respect and gratitude for all who have served and given their
lives. We also want to acknowledge their families, who have endured the tragic loss of a son or daughter,
brother or sister, mother or father. 

Our film which puts a spotlight on the struggles, sacrifices, and strengths of military children and families was affirmed at the London International Film Festival. We are pleased they nominated us for Best Short Documentary.

Our goal in 2021 is to share the film Veteran Children at live screenings, if that is possible in light of Covid, as well as through virtual screenings and virtual events. 

As we work to set these up, we are still reaching new audiences, in the U.S. at the Chicago Indie Film Awards and in Germany at the Berlin Film Festival. We're pleased to have received film awards at both festivals.

As we launch into 2021, here's an update of our film, Veteran Children: When Parents Go To War.

Although we had to cancel our planned 2020 screenings due to the COVID pandemic, we were pleased to be nominated in June for a Regional Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

We kept active by reaching audiences through film festivals that screened films online due to the pandemic. Veteran Children was selected and received numerous awards in 2020, including from the Miami Independent Film Festival, Best Shorts Competition, Impact Docs Awards and Lady Filmmakers Film Festival.  Awards in 2021 thus far include the Short Docs Film Festival and New York Film Awards.

In 2021 we look forward to having virtual film screenings with discussions to bring together the military community and civilians across the country. Our film is a springboard for important conversations about the often invisible impacts of war on those who serve, their families, and their children.

Please contact us if you are interested in organizing a virtual screening.
We are eager to help you see and share the film.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy year ahead.