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4-H Embraces Children of Deployed Soldiers
by Kevin Robinson-Avila

4-H is helping New Mexico National Guard families stay united by providing the tools for kids to correspond with their deployed parents.

Michelle Skibyak, an 11th-grader from Rio Rancho, received a disposable camera, stationery and stamps this summer to send pictures to her father, a National Guardsman deployed in Iraq. The items were included in a “hero pack” prepared by the 4-H program.

“The hero pack was really special because it showed that people care about us,” Skibyak said.

Skibyak is one of thousands of youngsters in New Mexico with a parent deployed in Iraq or elsewhere that New Mexico State University hopes to reach through its statewide 4-H youth program. NMSU is partnering with the New Mexico National Guard to provide support for children and teenagers with deployed parents.

Senior 4-H members are preparing hero packs for more New Mexico youth whose parents will be deployed next year. The packs include helpful books, journals to vent emotions, stuffed animals and other comforting items.

The program is also teaching teenagers about babysitting and child development to help their parents by caring for younger siblings. This summer youngsters can attend three-day camps in Cloudcroft and Angel Fire.