Sesame Street And USO Partner To Bring Tour To Military Families
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind SESAME STREET, and the USO (United Service Organizations) announced THE SESAME STREET EXPERIENCE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES: a free traveling tour to military installations across the country. The tour, produced by VEE Corporation, is part of Sesame Workshop's TALK, LISTEN, CONNECT initiative, a military outreach program which launched in 2006.
The initiative provides support and offers significant resources for military families with young children experiencing the effects of deployment, multiple deployments or when a parent returns home changed due to a combat related injury. Military families who attend the experience will see a live character performance and receive giveaways and outreach materials from TALK, LISTEN, CONNECT and other partners.
The tour officially kicks off on July 8 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms in California and will visit 43 installations across the country. The announcement was made by Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, Edward A. Powell, President and CEO of USO World Headquarters, Leslye A. Arsht, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy and SESAME STREET's Elmo, Rosita and Grover at the Reserve Officers Association (www.roa.org).
For up-to-date tour information and schedule, visit www.sesamestreet.org/tlc.
"THE SESAME STREET EXPERIENCE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES brings the TALK, LISTEN, CONNECT DVD and materials to life, and directly to the families who face the challenges of military life each day," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop. "Our partnership with the USO further extends this initiative, visiting installations across the nation, to help these families bond through emotionally difficult times, by providing an educational and entertaining show and other outreach activities they can share."
"This is a terrific, ground-breaking new program for military families," said Edward A. Powell, President and CEO of USO World Headquarters. "Our partnership with Sesame Workshop on TALK, LISTEN, CONNECT has been a great success and THE SESAME STREET EXPERIENCE is a creative new way to deliver even more morale-boosting services and programs to our troops and their families."