{"id":127009,"date":"2024-10-25T15:22:18","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T15:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/10\/25\/first-ever-childrens-museum-on-a-military-base-gets-top-service-award\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:04:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:04:26","slug":"first-ever-childrens-museum-on-a-military-base-gets-top-service-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2024\/10\/25\/first-ever-childrens-museum-on-a-military-base-gets-top-service-award\/","title":{"rendered":"First-ever children\u2019s museum on a military base gets top service award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The only children\u2019s museum located on a military base is this year\u2019s leading winner in the 2024 Fisher Service Award<\/a> competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Children\u2019s Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is \u201ca bright spot of color in a sea of khaki,\u201d said Tanya Durand, executive director of Greentrike, the parent organization in Tacoma, at the Oct. 23 award ceremony in Arlington, Va. The museum offers far more than creative play and learning for military children and their adults, she said, providing a way for children to reconnect with their parents after deployments, and a gathering space for families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one of five nonprofits that received a combined total of $400,000 for their work to support military members, veterans and their families. The museum received $100,000; four other wide-ranging nonprofits received $75,000 each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen these awards are placed in the hands of these organizations, they gain power to transform those dollars into a measurable impact across the military community now and into the future,\u201d said Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, director for the Joint Staff, speaking at the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The awards are sponsored by the Fisher House Foundation and the Military Times Foundation. In addition to their individual monetary awards, each nonprofit received an advertising package valued at $50,000 donated by the Military Times Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since this program began in 1999 as the Newman\u2019s Own Awards, it has awarded more than $3.4 million across 210 nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe the military does a great job with everything they\u2019re authorized to do. But what they\u2019re authorized to do and what a family\u2019s needs are, can be two different things,\u201d said Dave Coker, president of the Fisher House Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the heart of what we do will always be our network of Fisher Houses,\u201d he said, noting that there are now 98 of these comfort homes. Military and veteran families can stay at no cost at these homes while a loved one is receiving treatment at a nearby military or Veterans Affairs hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Fisher House program grew, he said, they realized they couldn\u2019t be all things to all people. So they have challenged other nonprofits working in their communities to identify a problem, explain how they could be part of the solution, and compete for funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love how, through this program, we find others, both organizations and leaders, as passionate and dedicated to supporting the military community as we are,\u201d Coker said. \u201cThe five organizations we honor today are proof of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s winners were chosen from a pool of more than 515 entries. Many spouses of current and former senior military leaders were among the 11 judges, to include Gina Allvin, Patty George, Christine Grady, Kelly Hokanson, LyndaLee Lunday, Ann Morrison, Jennifer Saltzman and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\t