Picturing Home Campaign: The Biden Foundation
I’m a Kansas girl. When I’m asking about picturing home, it’s where my mind goes. I was born in a small-town hospital in northwest Kansas and spent the first two-plus decades of my life as a residential Kansan.
Now, several years and duty stations later, I still proudly call myself a Kansan. I’ve also learned how to field those always-predictable questions that immediately follow my answer about where I’m “from.”
“Kansas, huh? Have you seen Dorothy lately? What are tornados like? How’s Toto doing?”
Har-dee-har-har.
No, I haven’t hung out with Dorothy. Tornados are not (usually) as terrifying as the movies or the Weather Channel make them out to be, and yes, I do own a little black dog, but his name is Sweet Justus, not Toto.
Even if I’m slightly-less-than-amused with the silly Kansas questions, there’s one aspect of the Wizard of Oz I can most certainly get behind:
There’s no place like home.
But as a military spouse, what is home? Better yet, as a family that’s moved every two to three years since we’ve been married, where is home? That’s a question I ponder on a regular basis.
April is Month of the Military Child, and I’m certain that answering the question about “home” is no easy feat for our military kids either. Fortunately, The Biden Foundation is doing something pretty cool to get a glimpse into the heart of our resilient military children.
The Biden Foundation has recently launched a new campaign, “Picturing Home,” inviting students around the country and the world to share what home means to them. The campaign asks kids—military-connected and civilian alike—to submit artwork, photography, and/or written pieces that tell the Foundation how they picture home, with the goal of inspiring communities to better support the well-being of military kids and teens around the world. (See, I told you this was cool!)
And get this: select submissions will be highlighted on the Biden Foundation’s website and social media channels starting now, as in the beginning of April. What a powerful way to honor Month of the Military Child!
We recognize military kids and thank them for the sacrifices they make to keep our nation safe. We also recognize the value of building bridges between military-connected and civilian children. Through Picturing Home, we celebrate the beauty of what makes our students unique — but we also celebrate those things that make us more similar than we think.” — Dr. Jill Biden
This statement resonates with me because my daughter, although still so young as a preschooler, is learning how to articulate where “home” is for her. She was born in Fort Benning, Georgia. She spent the first three years of her life at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. She completed Pre-K in North Georgia while we were stationed at the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, and she’ll start kindergarten in a few months at our new home in Texas. (I’m not sure if this child needs a preschool diploma or her own personal atlas!)
It isn’t too hard to see how “home” can be quite a complicated yet beautiful picture for our military children.
Thankfully, there’s good news for both ourselves as parents of our military children and also for our kids as they strive to articulate the complex, adventurous spirit of “home.”
Supporting military families is one of the Biden Foundation’s core pillars for its work. Dr. Jill Biden and former Vice President Joe Biden remain committed to ensuring that military families have the same opportunities as civilian families. The Foundation’s efforts focus on calling attention to the challenges facing military-connected children, elevating career opportunities for military spouses, and promoting the importance of mental health and wellness for the entire military family.
If you’re interested in participating in the Picturing Home Campaign, don’t wait! Get your children rounded up at the kitchen table, grab the markers (or, if you’re extra brave, maybe the paint and glitter), and turn them loose to see what “home” looks like to them.
Who knows? Their artwork might be featured on The Biden Foundation‘s social media outlets this month!
Perhaps Dorothy was right: There’s no place like home. But one thing we do know, as military families, is that home is where the military sends us. So let’s invite our kids to join the mission of sharing our message through The Biden Foundation’s Picturing Home Campaign.
