The Sandbox
Oregon National Guard // Child & Youth Program Newsletter
It's Our Biggest Event Of The Year!!!


Youth Military Ball
March 21
Portland, OR
You are cordially invited to attend the 2015 Youth Military Ball! This is our kickoff celebration for Month of the Military Child and celebrates the commitment of military connected children and youth. This years theme is Alice in Wonderland!
This event is open to military connected families from all branches of service.

 Join us for dancing, photos, crafts, games and music from the Oregon Army National Guard Band! We will also be having a special recognition for the children and teens in attendance. 
Dress Code: This is a semi-formal event and we request that Service Members wear your Class A's or Mess Dress if possible.

Register Now!
 
 
2015 Young Leaders Conference
March 21
Portland, OR

The Young Leaders Conference is an opportunity for youth ages 7-12 to network and interact with other youth who can relate to their experiences having a parent in the Oregon National Guard. This event allows the attendees to develop their resiliency by focusing on character and team building activities with peers. Activities will be lead and developed by the Oregon Military Teen Panel with the help of the Child & Youth Program Staff.  

 

This event is open to youth from both Army and Air National Guard families. This event is in conjunction with the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program offered on the same day. Families attending the YRRP who have children ages 7-12 will automatically be registered for the Young Leaders Conference. 

 

Registration does not guarantee approval - There is limited space available. 

Register Now!

College Campus Visits!

Calling HS Sophmores, Juniors and Seniors - are you still deciding what to do after High School? Join other military teens to check out some local colleges. You and a parent/guardian will get a full tour of both campuses, as well as some special presentations on admissions and the FASFA.

 

March 24 - OSU & Oregon

Pickup available from Camp Withycombe and Anderson Readiness Center
Register Now!

March 25 - George Fox, Warner Pacific and The Art Institute of Portland

Register Now!

March 24 - WSU: Vancouver, PSU, The Art Institute of Portland

Register Now!

Looking for more things to do this year? Check out our other events! Click here to download a pdf of the calendar.
Scholarship Deadlines are coming up!

 

Someone in your family may be headed for college in the not-too-distant future. If it's this year, now is the time to hunker down and submit scholarship applications. But even if it's a couple years from now, you can start researching which scholarships are available for military children and military spouses. 

 

Here are some resources we found to help you in your search: 

(Note: These links take you to privately sponsored websites. Please be aware we do not endorse or promote this site or any affiliated sites.)

 

American Legion Auxiliary Scholarships

The American Legion Auxiliary believes that the more knowledge our young people gain, the better citizens they will become. That is why the organization is so committed to education.  They offer a variety of scholarships at the national level, state level and even local level!  


 

For national and state level scholarships you start by submitting your application at the state level.  Click here to learn more about these scholarships.  HURRY, SOME ARE DUE MARCH 1!!!!


 

For local scholarships you need to contact your local unit.  Click here to find your local unit. 
 

CollegeScholarships.org

This site has great lists and search functions to find scholarships and also has some good tips for helping to write essays and to make your applications the best. 

MilitaryHandbooks.com

This site is dedicated to giving the military community the very best information available and providing it in a series of straightforward, easy-to-understand handbooks - for FREE!  One of the publications they offer is a Military Children's Scholarship Handbook.  This book covers a wide variety of topics from the basics of deciding on college to studying for exams, getting the most for your education dollar to loans and federal aid.  This is a very comprehensive book that covers all of the topics and is easy to understand. 

 

Don't Forget to Study for the SAT & ACT! 

eKnowledge is once again offering their SAT and ACT Test Prep Programs for Free or at a steep discount! Each program includes more than 11 hours of video instruction and 3000 files of supplemental test prep material, thousands of interactive tools, sample questions and practice tests. Check out the flier for more information!

 

March 2015

In This Issue
Upcoming Events!
Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year Semi-Finalists
Connection Corner
Family Activity Time
 
Oregon National Guard Child & Youth Program
Like us on Facebook
 
Oregon Military  
Teen Panel 
Like us on Facebook
Share your ideas for events and venues
 
Do you know an amazing Military child or teen? Let us know who it is!

CYP LogoOregon National Guard
Child & Youth Program
3225 State Street
Salem, OR 97309
503-584-2389
cyp@oregonbtyr.org

Oregon Military Teen Panel
ormtp@oregonbtyr.org

Your Child & Youth Staff


Hank Bauer
Lead, CYP Coordinator
503-584-2346 or 503-602-9021
michael.h.bauer10.ctr@mail.mil

Sarah Johnson
CYP Coordinator
503-584-2390 or 503-530-9094
sarah.m.johnson120.ctr@mail.mil

All staff are contractors with Cognitive Professional Services
Fly Fishing Camp!
 
Want to learn how to Fly Fish? This is your opportunity!  
We have a connection with an overnight fly fishing camp program.  They have a sponsor who will pay all of the fees for one lucky youth ages 10-14 and their accompanying adult!  

The camp is from Thursday, July 23 - Sunday, July 26 and will take place in the Mt. Hood National Forest. All fishing and fly tying gear is provided, or you can bring your own gear. Wading gear and wading shoes are not provided. 

If you are available and interested in this opportunity head to our Facebook page! Comment on the post about this opportunity with your name and you will be entered into the drawing to attend this camp. After we draw the lucky winner we will contact you on Facebook to get the other details to you.  

If you do not have a Facebook account but would still like to be entered in the drawing please email us at cyp@oregonbtyr.org and we will enter you in the drawing. 



Congratulations Kristin!
We are sorry to say that Kristin Marquardt has found a new position outside of the Oregon National Guard family.  

Kristin was with our program for about 18 months and was a valuable asset in developing new programs, a wonderful personality to energize our events and a great friend to work with!  We will miss her very much but are excited for her new opportunity.  We are also thrilled that she has chosen to continue as a volunteer with us!  

We wish you the very best Kristin!

Kristin's position will soon be filled and we look forward to telling you more about the new Youth Outreach Coordinator in next month's newsletter!    
Family Activity Time: Spring Break!
 
(NOTE: These links take you to privately sponsored websites. Please be aware we do not endorse or promote this site or any affiliated sites.)

It is almost that time when kids are released for a week of fun and play and parents are looking for things to keep their kids occupied!  Here are some sites that have some great recommendations.  Have a safe vacation everyone!


Spring Break Camps
Spring Break is a time to bond, play and explore! Whether you plan to travel with the family, or stick around, keeping the kids occupied is a priority. We have rounded up a few great options for Spring Break Camps - Sorted by Age. 
Click the city name below to see opportunities in that area:

Action Packed Spring Break Ideas
These ideas are all adventures and are action packed! The kids won't be saying " There's nothing to do!" at these sites!
Courtesy of traveloregon.com

Annual Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup!
March 28th is the 30th Anniversary of SOLVE's Spring Beach Clean Up!  Join them to celebrate and help protect our people, wildlife and coastal economies and keep our state beautiful!
Courtesy of solv.org


Coast Glass Float Search
Finder's Keeper is exactly what this is about! In Lincoln City and Gold Beach volunteers hide thousands of Glass Floats and other glass art pieces.  If you find a piece you get to keep it!  
Click the city name below for more information on the local search:
Attention Families with a Deployed Service Member! Don't Miss these Yellow Ribbon Programs to help you prepare for their return!

Sign up for these events at www.yellowribbonevents.org
Note: If you register for these yellow ribbon events your children will automatically be registered for any CYP programs happening during the event. See the list below for events.   Children/Teens who are younger or older than the programs offered will be with the childcare staff during the event.
  • March 21: Young Leaders Conference for ages 7-12. (You must register separately for the Youth Military Ball if you plan to attend that evening.)
  • April 25: Military Teen Scene: Are You a Goonie? for ages 11-18.
  • NOTE: May 2 Bend event has been cancelled.
  • May 16: Military Teen Scene: Are You a Goonie? for ages 11-18.
  We had a great time at JJ Jump in Clackamas on Monday celebrating the holidays!  Here are some pictures of the fun!

We have had some requests from readers to publish the full address links from our articles because on some government computers the links do not work properly.  All links will be included in this space in each newsletter. Thank you!

To view this email in a web browser, please use this link:


American Legion Auxiliary Unit Look Up

American Legion Auxiliary Scholarships
http://www.alaoregon.org/scholarships.php

College Scholarships
MilitaryHandbook
Spring Break Camps
Action Packed Spring Break Ideas
SOLVe Beach Clean Up
Glass Float Search

Join Our Mailing List
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Military Youth of the Month Nomination

Idea Generator Survey

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ORMTP Facebook Page