team successes

TriWest Sponsors Operation Purple Camps

More than 140,000 children have at least one parent deployed for U.S. military operations around the world. All of these children experience significant differences in their daily lives, and some must deal with the heartbreak of losing a parent to combat duty.

Operation Purple Summer Camps, which was developed by the National Military Family Association and is sponsored by TriWest, provides a safe environment to help the children of deployed U.S. service men and women deal with the emotional challenges of their parents' deployment. More importantly, these kids can talk with other children with similar circumstances.

"The children they meet at these summer camps show them they are not alone," said Dr. Blake Chaffee, TriWest Vice President of Behavioral Health. "They learn how to express and deal with their anxieties and have a little fun, too."

This year, the camps will host more than 2,500 very deserving children at 26 locations in 22 states, including 11 states in the West Region. Camps run for 5 - 7 days and are available for different age groups.

"TriWest recognizes that as military parents deploy in our nation's defense, their children face an array of challenges," said David J. McIntyre, Jr., TriWest President and CEO. "As an extension of our mission to support the well-being of America's military family, we are proud to support NMFA's Operation Purple Summer Camp program."

TriWest's Behavioral Health department is also helping to develop the handbook and curriculum the camps will use. "We are uniquely qualified in our ability to provide this type of help to the campers," said Chaffee. "Really this is just one more way to take care of those who wear this nation's uniform and their families."

In a recent letter to military children from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, USMC General Peter Pace wrote, "You are heroes in a quiet, thoughtful way, and I am grateful for the unconditional love you give your mom and dad. Through your personal courage and support, you serve this nation too - and I am proud of you!"

The "purple" in the program's name is recognized throughout the military community as signifying any event that is open to any member of the uniformed services, including the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the United States Public Health Service and the Reserve Component.