DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 April is recognized as the Month of the Military Child \u2014 a time to honor the sacrifices and resilience of children who never signed up for military life but live it every day. <\/p>\n
From long deployments to frequent moves and constant uncertainty, military children carry burdens that often go unnoticed.<\/p>\n
Mayport Elementary Principal Katie O\u2019Connell says her school feels the weight of deployment season firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a very large number of parents that are currently deployed, and so that further impacts our children here, and especially with their mental health and their well-being,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cAlso, our military children are really very resilient kids. They have to move around to schools very frequently, make new friends, learn new environments. A lot of times, they\u2019re moving to places they\u2019ve never been before. It\u2019s very nerve-wracking.\u201d<\/p>\n
But CSX employees in Jacksonville are doing something to lighten those emotional burdens for military children. <\/p>\n
More than 500 \u201cbuddy bears\u201d are being stuffed and distributed to students at Mayport Elementary School ahead of the school\u2019s Month of the Military Child celebration this Friday.<\/p>\n
CSX\u2019s \u2018Pride in Service\u2019 initiative<\/p>\n
The bears are part of CSX\u2019s \u201cPride in Service\u201d initiative, which recognizes the deep connection the company has with the military community. <\/p>\n
Angela Costa, senior manager of community investments at CSX, says the effort is personal for many employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere at CSX, one in five of our employees actually has a tie to the military. That\u2019s why we started our Pride in Service initiative, which is so important to us,\u201d Costa said. <\/p>\n
For the families involved, the bears represent far more than a stuffed animal \u2014 they are symbols of strength and community support.<\/p>\n
Challenges of deployment<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Moore, a staff member at Mayport Elementary, knows the challenge of military life up close. <\/p>\n
Her husband recently deployed, leaving her to care for their three children on her own.<\/p>\n
Moore didn\u2019t hesitate to describe the most challenging part of deployments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s honestly the homecoming because our routine has been something different than when Dad\u2019s home, so when he\u2019s home, it\u2019s a lot of adjusting to having two parents back in the household and the kids understanding that Dad\u2019s also a parent again and not just the fun person who brought home gifts from all the countries,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Grief is a sense of loss\u2019<\/p>\n
Social worker Emily Schubert says the emotional toll on military children is real \u2014 but so is their capacity to adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think most often, sometimes people really associate grief with death, but in reality, grief is a sense of loss. And it\u2019s just that feeling of, \u2018I have this feeling of loss, and I have nowhere really to put it,\u2019\u201d Schubert said. \u201cAnd so that is a common thing that some kids will experience when they have a family member in the military.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schubert adds that military children are often among the most at-risk for mental health challenges \u2014 but many also become more resilient and adaptable than their peers.<\/p>\n
Blooming where they\u2019re planted<\/p>\n
Faculty and staff at Mayport Elementary note that the dandelion is the official flower of the military child, symbolizing the idea that these kids \u201cbloom where they are planted\u201d \u2014 no matter where life takes them.<\/p>\n
Mayport Elementary will host its annual Month of the Military Child celebration this Friday. <\/p>\n
The event will feature the Navy band, games, crafts, and the distribution of the buddy bears to students.<\/p>\n
As those bears make their way into little hands, the message from the Jacksonville community is clear: military children are seen, valued, and supported.<\/p>\n
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