For soldiers and their
loved ones, help is on the way

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Dealing with a financial crisis is never easy.
When you’re at home with five children, your husband is in the military overseas and you have no family in the immediate area, it’s even harder.
Thanks to Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization that offers emergency assistance and support for the troops and their families, Nancy (who declined to give her last name) had somewhere to turn when the electric company was ready to shut off her power because of non-payment.
"Having my husband (deployed) almost a year, and being home with five children ages seven through sixteen, it was a pretty hard time. I was able to manage it until last month. This was something I couldn’t take care of," Nancy said.
The relief that she found after discovering the organization online was much more than financial.
"When you’re in that kind of need and you’re talking to strangers, at first talking about my problem was very awkward. Deanna made me feel comfortable. We might never meet but she’s in my heart. She’s in my prayers," Nancy said. "She took the extra time to reassure me and to give me the great news (that her problem was resolved)."
Deanna Kemler has been at the helm of the Pennsylvania and Delaware chapters of Operation Homefront since January. She took over after its previous director, Ira Shaffer, died of injuries after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in December.
According to Kemler, the organization grew out of CinCHouse.com, an online community for military spouses started by Meredith Leyva. CinCHouse is derived from the military acronym for commander in chief.
"In 2001, when the first deployment started happening after Sept. 11, we realized that military structures for supporting families were not up to the task," Kemler said.
Operation Homefront stepped up to fill that need. Last year, the organization served 33,000 families nationwide. In addition to providing emergency financial assistance, the organization connects troops and their families to donated resources, discounted services and ways to stay connected to their soldiers.
While Kemler’s father was a World War II veteran, she is not a member of the military or married to one, but she has always been the sort of person to thank military people for their service, she explained.
"I believe strongly that we don’t just serve the military families. I see us also serving the public. There is such overwhelming support, calls of ‘how can I help?’" Kemler said. "It’s great for military families to feel that public support."
Sgt. Frank Garcia, a 101st Airborne soldier based at Fort Campbell, Ky., on leave from Afghanistan, and his family are recent recipients of that support.
Garcia’s 4-year-old daughter Kennedy, who has Down syndrome and leukemia, recently underwent a spinal-fusion operation. Through Operation Homefront, the historic district’s Philadelphia Holiday Inn was able to provide the Garcia family of seven with 30 days of free lodging. They not only were able to be together during the ordeal, but they didn’t have to worry about what could have been a catastrophic cost for the family.
With back-to-school days around the corner, military families face other costs, such as expensive items needed by their children. The organization’s 30 chapters are collecting new school supplies and backpacks to alleviate the worry for low-income military families.
To register to receive school supplies, or for more information about donating, visit the organization’s Web site at www.operationhomefront.net/pa
Drop-off points in the Philadelphia area were still being worked out early this week. Operation Homefront also is taking applications for scholarships for military spouses through Aug. 15. Completed applications must be postmarked by that date.
For more information, go to www.operationhomefront.net/pdf/OH_CH%20Schlshp%20App.pdf
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com