Letter to Congressman Wolf

August 4, 2009

Dear Congressman Wolf,

Being overseas adds to the challenges for mothers to find ways to exercise without worrying about childcare. We are away from family support networks and often experience deployments and long TDY’s which increases the stress on the active duty member, spouse, and the children. The military community has a higher rate of post-partum depression as well as the normal challenges of obesity, suicide and alcoholism related to these and other stresses. Exercise has been proven to raise endorphins which in turn will help the spouse better cope with these challenges.

My name is Renee Champagne. I am a veteran, Military spouse and a mother of two. I was awarded the Congressional Award in 1987 which you presented to me for my volunteer service. My colleague, Ginger Sladky, is also a veteran, spouse and mother of a young child. We both understand these challenges military families face, and realized there were no programs offered for moms and their children. We decided to develop, implement and advocate for these vital programs. These programs are incredibly successful as the letters included in this proposal will confirm. I have also included several articles in this proposal that show the benefits of family fitness for spouses and children.

More programs are needed that provide verifiable, quantifiable and ongoing support to military families struggling against depression, stress and other destructive behaviours. An example of such a program, unequalled in its effectiveness, but lacking adequate government support is military family fitness. Fitness programs structured around family involvement offer proven support for marriages, physical well-being and disease prevention, and improve mental focus and mental health. Fitness provides a critical foundation to individual perceptions of self worth and unmatched defence against symptoms of depression. The adage “ We recruit soldiers but retain families is used to support the criticality of a healthy family relationship to the overall effectiveness and long term retention of our soldiers. Military families are widely regarded to be as important to national security as uniformed services members. I am speaking on behalf of these families and asking for funding in order to support these vital programs and hire people who are knowledgeable in both fitness and how it relates to child development.

Sincerely,

Renee Champagne