By Dr. John Williams, Senior Medical Director, UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans
During my 22 years in the Navy, I spent more than two years away from my family, counting deployments, training missions and active duty recalls. Missed birthdays, vacations, dance recitals and football games were the norm. As a reservist, we were always located remotely from military bases, and were not able to take advantage of the traditional support systems available there. I know the strain that was put on my wife and 3 kids, and the unique circumstances with which they had to cope.
It is important to provide the right resources to kids of service members to help them navigate the challenging world in which they live. Yesterday, I was privileged to help the United Health Foundation provide a $1.75 million grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The money will be used to create an interactive online platform and mobile applications specifically designed for children of our military.
United health foundation awards the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with a $1.75 million grant at Peterson Air Force base in Colorado Springs Sept. 3, 2015. The grant will be used to create an interactive online platform and mobile application for military kids. Left to right: Kevin McCartney, BGCA Sr. Vice President for Government Relations, Col. Eric Dorminey, Vice Commander of 21st Space Wing, and Dr. John Williams, Sr., M.D., Senior Medical Director, UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans.
Specifically, the platform will engage military kids through mobile applications, digital community bulletin boards, distance learning opportunities, targeted digital communications and interactive games. The pilot will launch this fall at five Boys & Girls Clubs Affiliated Youth Centers – including Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs – and on military installations across the country before distribution to more than 4,100 Boys & Girls Clubs.
The grant is part of United Health Foundation’s “Helping Build Healthier Communities” program that provides critical resources to nonprofit, community-based organizations across the country to improve people’s health.
I wish a service like this would have been available to my kids during the times I was away, so they could have connected with their peers. I know thousands of children will benefit greatly from this unique program.
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