Operation Purple® Summer Camp @Pioneer Camp & Retreat Center 
July 11-16th, 2010

The National Military Family Association announced that Pioneer Camp and Retreat Center in Angola, NY was chosen to host their popular Operation Purple® summer camp in 2010. The Association developed this free summer camp program in response to the need for increased support for military children, especially those whose parents are or will be deployed.
"Our mission is to empower these military children - our youngest heroes - to develop and maintain healthy and connected relationships, in spite of the current military environment. Kids attending Operation Purple® camp will have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to cope with the stress of a deployment and make friends with other kids who are also missing their mom or dad," said Mary Scott, the Association's Chairman of the Board. "The National Military Family Association is excited to work with Pioneer Camp and Retreat Center on this very worthwhile program."
  Operation Purple® Camp continues our history of pioneering one-of-a-kind service and outreach programs to serve our community members," said Linda Gage, Executive Director of Pioneer Camp. "This unique program is designed to provide fun, recreation, and experiential learning and will impart the message that "They Serve Too."
  Registration for Operation Purple® Camp begins March 15th, 2010. Applications will only be accepted online. Sign up at www.operationpurple.org to receive email notices and camp updates. Each camp is "purple" and open to children of service members of any branch of Service, active duty, National Guard or Reserve, as well as children of members of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic Atmosphere Administration.
C amps are free to all participants, thanks to the support from the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation.

Pioneer Camp, in Angola New York, is hosting one week of Operation Purple® Camp July 11-16, 2010 for Children Ages 8-14. In addition to general camp activities and recreation; swimming, canoeing, crafts, large group games and campfires, Pioneer Camp will recreate "desert camp" conditions utilizing their Lake Erie beach frontage, so that children will have the opportunity to experience many of the same elements their parent(s) experience while deployed. Other planned activities include sleeping out in tents and eating MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) on the beach, practicing orienteering (using map reading and compass skills to navigate in the physical world), and learning leadership and team building skills on Pioneer Camp's low ropes challenge course. Pioneer Camp will be seeking corporate sponsors and individual donations to implement various program elements, ensuring the children have the best possible experience.