The 2019 Military Family Night Out Program, provided by the Center for Prevention & Counseling, will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at Sussex County Community College (SCCC) in New Jersey. SCCC’s Veterans Affairs will be available for all veteran and active military families.
The program, which began in Sussex County in 2013, joins veterans and active service members together to spend time with their families and other current or retired service members.
“Veterans and active service members can bring their families and join us for a free Military Family Night Out,” Alya Bower, a prevention specialist at The Center for Prevention & Counseling told Advertiser News South.
Military Family Night Out is a free program that includes dinner and the opportunities to “bring parents and children of all ages together while having fun,” Bower said.
“Families learn in a welcoming atmosphere about supportive strategies to increase family wellness. They will acquire new ideas for daily living and connect with other military families and services in the community,” she added.
Every graduating family will earn up to a maximum of $300 in gift card incentives.
The program is free for everyone who has served or currently serves in any of the military branches and families who have a family member deployed.
Funding for Military Family Night Out is provided by the New Jersey Prevention Network, a public health agency that works to “create healthier communities” by helping to reduce the problem of “substance abuse, addiction and other chronic disease.”
The agency brings professionals together through networks to boost a wide range of training and prevention programs offered across the state.
“Family communication and structure is strained with each deployment,” the agency said about the Military Family Night Out Program. “The Military Family Nights series is based on the Strengthening Families Program in which families practice communication skills, family meetings, effective discipline, therapeutic child play, reinforcing positive behaviors in each other and jointly planning family activities.”
