This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Promises2Kids Seeks to Raise Awareness of Marine Corps Families' Needs

Promises2Kids conducted a study and focus groups that found areas in which San Diego's many military families need help.

Promises2Kids, a nonprofit organization that got its start fighting child abuse and neglect, is spearheading the Families Also Serve Campaign to increase awareness of the need to support military families with children, said Susan Golding, former mayor of San Diego and CEO and president of Promises2Kids.  

“There is a stigma a lot of the young military families feel about seeking certain kinds of help, and even though the military itself says that is just not true anymore, I think a lot of families do feel that way, so they want to be able to access resources off base,” Golding said.

About 17 percent of active-duty Navy personnel and 30 percent of active-duty Marine Corps personnel are stationed in San Diego, which is a top city of return for veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Find out what's happening in Oceanside-Camp Pendletonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In conjunction with the Navy and Marine Corps, Promises2Kids conducted a random survey in 2009 of San Diego’s population of active-duty military and their families.

According to the organization’s assessment, which included focus groups with local military spouses:

Find out what's happening in Oceanside-Camp Pendletonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Family stress factors have been compounded by prolonged and frequent deployment cycles.
  • San Diego County’s military families have unmet support needs.
  • San Diego County’s military families need respite childcare.
  • Families want additional access to and knowledge of resources available in the community.

“Deployment has a cumulative effect on children that remains even after the deployed parent returns home,” Golding said. “Word of mouth from peers is the most powerful influence in determining which services and programs to use.”

It is unclear precisely which city spouses included in the focus groups came from, but Golding said the findings are true for almost any part of the region.

 “There are very few areas of San Diego County that do not have military families,” she said. “There is almost no school that does not have children who come from military families.”

Active-duty military personnel and their families make up less than 1 percent of the national population but nearly 8 percent of San Diego County’s 3 million people.

Golding said the program is still in its infancy as it seeks grants for funding, and it urges other organizations in the community to help provide additional services.

Ultimately, the group wants to connect civilian and military agencies, continue tracking families’ progress, create a comprehensive database of resources, work with school districts and promote self-advocacy, among other things.

 “The military is already doing much to help their families and the community wants to help. Through the Families Also Serve Campaign we hope to raise awareness and increase access to resource information,” Golding said.

To donate or volunteer with Promise2Kids, visit the organization's website. Veterans who can offer services for military families are especially encouraged to volunteer.

Follow Camp Pendleton Patch on Twitter and Facebook.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?