Chrysler Museum of Art and Hampton Roads Museums Support Military Families
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 12:56 | 
Steph H-N New M...
As a military brat, some of my earliest memories of summer vacation involved my parents dragging me to museums around the world. And yes, at times I felt dragged, particularly when I was 12-15 years
old and spending time with my parents was akin to being water boarded in my adolescent angst ridden head.
In hindsight, however, it was pretty darn cool.
Fast forward to summer vacations with my kids. I have two "high energy" boys. I use the quotes because sometimes simply energetic doesn't quite cut it as a description. Imagine a 4 year old (Holden) and a 5 year old (Hollis) chasing each other around in circles and screaming at top volume. Now picture that for 2 hours or so in a public place filled with fragile and expensive objects and art, where you aren't supposed to touch anything.
Have a migraine yet?
Over the years my husband and I have taken the boys to lots of museums. We've traveled up to the Smithsonian in D.C. pretty frequently. The Natural History Museum, both Air and Space Museums, the American History Museum, all were loved by H&H. We've been regular visitors to the USS Wisconsin and Nauticus, the Portsmouth Children's Museum and similar kid-friendly venues. But I've never been brave enough to try an art museum with Hurricane Hollis and Hurricane Holden.
I've been selling my kids short.
Tags: Don't Touch ANYTHING! A Morning at the Chrysler Museum of Art
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 23:39 | Guest Contributor
by Michelle Galvez
Before entering the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va. Thursday, my kids were strenuously warned to use their inside voices, walking feet and look with their eyes, but not with their hands. I truly enjoy introducing my children to art and culture but I was a bit nervous about the potential for too-up close and personal interaction between them and the priceless and breakable masterpieces inside. I needn’t have worried because between the red, white and blue cupcakes and jobs as museum detectives, my kids were engaged and behaved.
The occasion was the local Hampton Roads celebration of the Blue Star Museums program with more than 850 museums across America offering free admission to military personnel and their families this summer as a Blue Star Families initiative between the National Endowment for the Arts and participating museums. Thursday’s event included comments by U.S. Senator Mark Warner, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, and Rear Admiral Mark Boensel, Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
They welcomed the military families in the audience by talking about their appreciation for the sacrifices made by military members and the need for communities to support their families through programs like Blue Star Museums. Boensel said how important these initiatives are not just for families but for overall mission readiness of the military. “When our service members can do their jobs because the community is taking care of our families then readiness stays up,” he said.
Staying Focused
Tue, 06/08/2010 - 21:00 | Guest Contributor
by Michelle Galvez
The school year is winding down and my kids and I are having trouble staying motivated for homework while visions of summer excursions and beach outings dance in our heads. Even though school is almost out, education and military families continues to be a top priority in Hampton Roads.
The past two Tuesdays I’ve attended meetings about the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children at local bases. The Compact, signed into Virginia law last year and accepted by 31 states at press time, is designed to address the educational issues that military families face such as graduation requirements, access to special services and other transitional concerns. It was drafted by the Council of State Governments in cooperation with the Department of Defense.
I’d gotten a call from the Patty Gajan, the school liaison officer at Joint Expeditionary Base-Little Creek about a May 18 Family Focus Meeting with Dr. James Merrill, Virginia Beach City Public Schools Superintendent. He was recently appointed by the Governor to serve on the Virginia Council on Interstate Compact for Military Children which was created to coordinate the Compact’s implementation in the state. He wanted to hear first-hand from military families about the most frequent and difficult problems typically encountered when PCSing with kids across state lines.
I figured I might have an experience or two to share since my 6th grader has had seven different schools and our family has moved 11 times in the last dozen years. I had to juggle my children’s soccer and ballet schedules and get a sitter, but with three kids enrolled in the city’s schools for the 2010-11 school year, I also wanted to go and hear the superintendent’s perspective on military families’ concerns.
Operation Appreciation Travels to Afghanistan
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 22:25 | Steph H-N New M...
Last week, a bipartisan Congressional delegation travelled to Afghanistan to meet with troops and commanders and Operation Appreciation went too!
Congressman Glenn Nye (D-Va), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, brought letters of thanks to our soldiers from Blue Star Family's Operation Appreciation.
From Congressman Nye's web site:
From Hampton Roads to Afghanistan
The Saturday before Nye left for Afghanistan, he hosted a Congress At Your Corner open meeting in Virginia Beach. Working with Hampton Roads Blue Star Families, Nye invited local students and families to write thank you cards for troops overseas. He personally delivered those cards on Wednesday when he met with a group of sailors and Marines at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.
Thank you, Congressman Nye!
