Team Ellsworth rolls out purple carpet for Month of the Military Child

Children enjoy confetti falling during a Purple Carpet Roll Out event at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, April 8, 2024. Approximately 70 children were celebrated at the Youth Program Center for the start of the Month of the Military Child. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brittany Kenney)

Team Ellsworth rolls out purple carpet for Month of the Military Child

Parents, teachers, Ellsworth civilian personnel, and base leadership shower confetti and cheer as children walk through the Youth Program Center at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, April 8, 2024. April is a month dedicated to recognizing the challenges children face when they have a parent serving in the military. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brittany Kenney)

Team Ellsworth rolls out purple carpet for Month of the Military Child

Children dip marshmallows into a chocolate fountain at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, April 8, 2024. The fountain was just one part of a Candyland themed party held for children at the Youth Program Center during the Purple Carpet Roll Out event. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brittany Kenney)

Team Ellsworth rolls out purple carpet for Month of the Military Child

Published April 9, 2024
By Airman 1st Class Brittany Kenney
28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- Military children were celebrated in a Purple Carpet Roll Out event at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, April 8, 2024.

Now in its fourth year, the event was held at the Youth Program Center on base to kick off the Month of the Military Child, being the first of several events planned throughout April.

“It’s a tribute to the kids we have here,” said Zoe Taylor, School Age Care Coordinator for Ellsworth Youth Programs. “They get to be the rockstars of the day and walk down the purple carpet, see their parents, get showered with confetti, and hear us shake cowbells while cheering for them; they get so excited!”

There are approximately 102 children that currently attend the center after school and during the summer, 70 of which were celebrated during the event. As they arrived from school, the children walked under a saber arch from the Douglas High School Junior ROTC, were cheered on by their parents, teachers, and base leadership, and went on to have a Candyland themed party with games, a taco bar, and a chocolate fountain marshmallow station.

“We get a lot of support from base leadership during this event,” said Taylor. “Seeing them take time out of their busy schedules to come and support the kids is very meaningful.”

There are more than 1.6 million military children who face challenges and unique experiences because of their parents’ service, to include moving every few years and having to change schools and support networks. For Maria Pino, retired Tech. Sgt. and mom of two children, events like this mean even more as her spouse is deployed, an experience her children are going through for the first time.

“I love these events because it shows the kids that they too are part of the military and they go through this journey with us,” said Pino. “It’s not just the active duty or the spouse, it’s the whole family.”