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Seven Outstanding Teens Receive Operation Homefront 2018 Military Child of the Year® Award


ARLINGTON, Va., April 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Joined by senior leaders of the nation's armed forces, Operation Homefront, serving America's military families®, presented seven outstanding military teenagers today with the prestigious Operation Homefront 2018 Military Child of the Year® Award at the annual awards gala.  United Technologies Corporation was the gala's presenting sponsor.  Additional sponsors included Booz Allen Hamilton, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, MidAtlanticBroadband, LaQuinta Inns & Suites, Under Armour, and Veterans United Home Loans.  Military Times was the media sponsor.

Operation Homefront Logo. Learn more at http://www.operationhomefront.org. (PRNewsfoto/Operation Homefront)

The Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year® Award is the nation's premier celebration of the achievements of our military children.  2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the awards, which each year has provided the extraordinary young recipients with opportunities to be recognized by senior military leaders, elected officials, celebrities, and other remarkable military children.

The award recipients were selected for their scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria while facing the challenges of military family life.  Six of the awardees represented the armed forces branch in which their parent either serves or has served ? Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the National Guard.  Each service branch's awardee was selected by a panel of independent volunteer judges with deep roots in the military-support community. The seventh awardee received the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation, presented by global technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. This award is presented to a military child who has designed a bold and creative solution to address a local, regional or global challenge.

Following are the awards:

Shelby Barber, 17, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who attends James Campbell High School
Award presented by Gen. (retired) Dennis Via, Senior Executive Advisor, Booz Allen Hamilton.

Rebekah Paxton, 17, of Harrisonville, Missouri, who is home-schooled.
Award presented by Lt. Gen. Gwen Bingham, U.S. Army assistant chief of staff for installations management.

Joshua Frawley, 14, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, who attends White Oak High School.
Award presented by Lt. Gen. Michael A. Rocco, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs of the Marine Corps.

Isabelle Richards, 14, of Jamul, California, who attends High Tech Middle School.
Award presented by Rear Admiral John B. Nowell, Navy Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy.

Eve Glenn, 16, of Tampa, Florida, who attends T. R. Robinson High School.
Award presented by Brig. Gen. Kathleen Cook, Director of Air Force Services.

Roark Corson, 17, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who attends Ocean Lakes High School.
Award presented by Admiral Paul Zunkunft, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Aaron Hall, 16, of Coarsegold, California, who attends Minarets High School.
Award presented by Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

In addition to receiving the awards during their time in the nation's capital, the winners visited their members of Congress on Capitol Hill and toured the National Museum of American History.  Each award recipient received $10,000, a laptop computer, and surprise gift of a free cruise donated by Carnival Cruise Line.  In addition to receiving the cash award and gifts, the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation recipient will work directly with a Booz Allen Hamilton team to develop a plan to help scale the recipient's project ? drawing on technology and strategic thinking as a part of the corporation's competitive Summer Games.

United Technologies Corporation was the gala's presenting sponsor, and the Military Child of the Year® program is made possible by Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, MidAtlantic Broadband, La Quinta Inns & Suites, Under Armour, and Veterans United Home Loans.  Military Times was the media sponsor.

Visit www.militarychildoftheyear.org/Recipients to read the bios of the awardees.

About Operation Homefront: Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive ? not simply struggle to get by ? in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America's military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.

SOURCE Operation Homefront



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