Description: The organization, Our Military Kids, shares how they recognize the sacrifice of children of deployed National Guard, Reserve, and post-9/11 combat-injured service members with extracurricular activity grants. 

This program is powered in part by Wounded Warrior Project® to honor and empower post-9/11 injured service members, veterans, and their families”.

Show Notes:

Website: https://www.ourmilitarykids.org/

Grant Application: https://www.ourmilitarykids.org/apply/

Contest: https://www.ourmilitarykids.org/contest/

Bio:

Kara Dallman- Executive. Director 

A retired Navy Veteran and military spouse of 20 years, Kara Dallman joined Our Military Kids as Executive Director in June of 2020. She has 16 years of experience in the military nonprofit space with a proven track record of collaboration with investors, thought leaders, and other nonprofits. Highly driven and entrepreneurial, Kara has led Our Military Kids toward 67% favorable program growth by designing and directing strategies that enhance organizational operations, optimizing fundraising, and maintaining sound financial practices.

In her military career, Kara was an Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS) officer leading shore-based teams to conduct anti-submarine warfare and strategically integrate with air and surface assets in real time. After 12 years on active duty, she transitioned to the Navy Reserve and was mobilized a month after 9/11 leaving her young military children behind which makes the mission of Our Military Kids very close to her heart. She retired from the Reserve in 2008 as a Commander.

Kara has a BS from the College of the Holy Cross where she was commissioned through Navy ROTC, an MBA from San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business, a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy and was a member of the first DEI cohort conducted by Compass, a nonprofit with a mission to inspire business professionals to engage with their local nonprofits to transform communities. In 2013, Kara was awarded the prestigious Sanctae Crucis Award by the College of the Holy Cross.

Michelle Tran is the Program and Operations Manager for Our Military Kids. She works closely with families and Veterans within OMK’s Combat-Injured Program. Tran holds a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Virginia Tech and has worked on the Our Military Kids program team for the past 13 years.

Michelle “Chelly” Criqui is the Marketing and Communications Manager for Our Military Kids. A military kid herself, Criqui received an Our Military Kids grant to row on her high school’s crew team while her father was deployed overseas with the Army National Guard. Chelly graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing. She began volunteering with Our Military Kids in early 2018 and officially joined OMK’s communications team that same year.