Purple Up to Honor Military Children, Celebrate Month of the Military Child

MEDIA ADVISORY: For Immediate Release
April 17, 2024

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – To celebrate Month of the Military Child, which is observed each year in April across the United States Department of Defense, the Minnesota National Guard Child & Youth Program will host Purple Up at Mall of America on Friday. The event is designed to recognize the commitment, contributions, and sacrifices military youth make for the nation.

“This is an exciting way to recognize and celebrate our military children. They share the burden of service when their loved ones must be away from home for long periods of time, miss important events in their lives to perform their military duty, or when frequent moves uproot them from something familiar and they must adjust to new and different experiences,” said Laura Groeneweg, Child & Youth Program lead coordinator. “Being able to spend time together and enjoy an event like this is priceless for our military families.”

At the annual open house-style event, military-connected youth and their families can enjoy music, face painting, character appearances, giveaways, treats, rides at Nickelodeon Universe provided by Mall of America, a Build-A-Bear experience provided by USAA and the Minnesota National Guard Association, and more. Purple is the official color of the military child. It is a combination of all the colors of the U.S. Armed Forces — Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard blues, Army green, and Marine Corps red.

Besides the Purple Up event, the Minnesota National Guard Child & Youth Program is hosting an art contest and photo contest. Families can also request a letter from Governor Tim Walz thanking military youth at MinnesotaVeteran.org/militarychild. There are more than 16,000 children in Minnesota who have at least one parent serving in the military.

Editor’s Note: Media members are invited to the open house at 1 p.m., Friday, April 19, at Mall of America, Culinary North Space, Level 2, located at 60 East Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425. Media can RSVP to Cristina Oxtra at (763) 349-2047 or cristina.f.oxtra.nfg@army.mil.

-About the Minnesota National Guard –
Established in 1856 and headquartered in St. Paul, the Minnesota National Guard has more than 13,000 Soldiers and Airmen who serve in 58 communities across the state. The Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen of the Minnesota National Guard are ‘Always Ready’ to fight the nation’s wars, protect the country, respond to state emergencies, and contribute to local communities. For more information about the Minnesota National Guard, visit https://MinnesotaNationalGuard.ng.mil.
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