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Military families can now experience the vacation of a lifetime for less than $100 a night, enjoying everything the Nickelodeon Family Suites has to offer, along with extras such as two free unlimited passes to the 4-D Experience theater, waived resort fee, 20 percent off services at the hotel’s unique Kid’s Spa and an amazing 50 percent off a private sliming.

With rates starting as low as $98 per night for a 1-bedroom family suite with a full kitchen or $128 per night for a 2-bedroom themed KidSuite (which sleeps up to six people), through May 31, 2009, Nick Hotel’s Military Family Package* provides military personnel and their families a chance to experience the 24-7 entertainment of this one-of-a-kind resort in Orlando’s tourism district at rock-bottom rates. In addition to the discounted rates of up to 20 percent off throughout the year, the package includes a waived resort fee for a savings of $25 per night; complimentary unlimited 4-D Experience passes for two, which currently features six different films shown throughout the day at the hotel; 20 percent off services at the Kid’s Spa, where kids can get pampered with manicures, hair wraps and airbrush tattoos and 50 percent off a private sliming, where families can experience an exclusive opportunity to get covered in green slime together.

For more information about the Nick Hotel, or the new Military Family Package, call (877)-NICK-KID and mention the code MILPROMO or visit www.NickHotel.com/military.

*Rates listed available through May 31, 2009 are for Sunday-Thursday only. Friday and Saturday nights include $30 premium. Call for rates after May 31, 2009. Offer based on limited availability. Rates and conditions subject to change. Black-out dates and restrictions may apply. Cannot be combined with any other special offers or promotional rates. Offer available for active and retired U.S. military personnel. Appropriate identification is required at check in and at each venue for discount eligibility.

On May 25, 2009, at 11:00 am Afghan time troops at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank, Afghanistan, received a special delivery on Memorial Day-the first USO in a Box.

The USO in a Box program converts the expandable Tactical Operation Centers (TOC) used by the military into unmanned USO centers that can be trucked or heloed into austere operating environments, allowing the USO to continue delivering services and support to a highly mobile military serving in the most remote regions.

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) Exceptional Family Program (EFMP) Respite Care could save your Marine family a lot of money on child care! Find out if you qualify.

Who is an exceptional Family Member?

• A DEERS enrolled family member of a miiltary member who requires special medical or educational services based on diagnosed physical, intellectual or emotional needs.

What does the EFMP do?

• Can assist Marine Corps families in managing the dual demands of a Marine Corps career and the special needs of their child.

Visit the Exceptional Family Member Program Web site for more information on the program.

To find out if you are eligible and to apply, call Child Care Aware at (800)424-2246.

For more information, and a full list of qualifications for this program, visit the National Associaition of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies Web site.

Do you have a loved one who is deployed? Will you be deployed in the future? If you said yes, then this event is just for you and your family!

Free: entertainment, raffles, giveaways and food!

• May 30, 2009
• 11 am – 3 pm
• Burba Lake, Fort Meade, MD 20755

This event is co-sponsored by HealthNet and the USO of Metropolitan Washington. Bring a blanket, sit back, and relax!

In one of the more innovative efforts to specifically assist military personnel returning from service with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the families with whom they are reuniting, Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation announced this week that it is launching the Survive & Thrive Veterans and Families Project.

This unique project consists of three different sessions. Each will bring together 12 different families – Iraq/Afghanistan Deployment (IAD) and other veterans with traumatic brain injury and their spouses, family caregivers, and/or parents. The first session will take place at a woodsy but very comfortable site near Big Bear Lake in California’s San Bernardino Mountains, where the soldiers and their families will participate in educational and therapeutic sessions, learn new coping and family support skills, solve problems, and develop new ways to communicate and thrive at home.

As they enjoy the outdoors and camaraderie, participants will gain new insight and life skills under the guidance of Casa Colina’s physicians, neuropsychologists and therapists, who will lead exercises and discussions designed to help learning, adapting and looking at the future with a new view. Casa Colina’s nationally renowned Outdoor Adventures recreational therapy team will guide activities and the family strengthening process. Camp staff will provide all meals and amenities.

Session one is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17 to Sunday, Sept. 20. Additional sessions are planned for spring and fall 2010. To ensure there will only be a nominal charge of $35 per person to participating families, Casa Colina has received a generous grant from the McCormick Foundation’s “Welcome Back Veterans” Initiative to operate the sessions.

Casa Colina is currently accepting applications for the initial session, and interested families should contact the Survive & Thrive office at (909) 596-7733, extension 5577 or toll-free (800)926-5462, ext. 5577 or via e-mail at surviveandthrive@casacolina.org. All applicants must meet Casa Colina’s eligibility requirements.

Of the estimated 75,000 service members of the current Iraq and Afghanistan deployment who have survived with brain injuries, about 5,000 to 6,000 are more seriously affected and are classified as having ‘moderate’ to ’severe’ brain injury.

People with traumatic brain injury have been the special focus of Casa Colina’s continuum of care, which has been developed for the general public for more than 30 years.

On Friday, May 22, 2009 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will launch a revolutionary site he calls “our NETWORK OF CARE.” Network of Care is a state of the art website that provides a direct link between California veterans in need of services and the specific organizations that can help them and their families.

With a click of a mouse, veterans can find immediate crisis counseling, emergency help with housing and jobs specifically for veterans. WWW.VETS.NETWORKOFCARE.ORG is a critical new bridge between the thousands of providers who are there to serve returning soldiers and their loved ones.

“There are a lot of great services available but the people we are trying to serve don’t know about us. It was clear to me immediately that NETWORK OF CARE is the tool that we need throughout the country where in one spot all organizations can come together to collaborate, and veterans and family members can go to understand what is available in their specific communities,” says Barbara Romberg, Founder of Give an Hour, a provider of mental health services to veterans.

California is the second state to launch Network of Care for Veterans & Service Members. Maryland launched a site for their veterans in March 2009.

For the first time, veterans, service members, their families and service providers have one comprehensive website to find vital information:

• mental and physical health counselors specifically trained to counsel returning soldiers
• College and job training programs and links to jobs in their field
• Housing, shelter and financial services.

10% Discount on Purchases up to $5,000 for Active, Reserve, Honorably Discharged, and Retired Military Personnel and Their Families!

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. announced today it will offer all active, reserve, honorably discharged, and retired military personnel and their immediate family members a 10 percent discount on in-store purchases made during the Memorial Day holiday. The discount is available May 21- 25.

The discount is available on in-stock and special order purchases up to $5,000. To qualify, individuals must present a valid military ID or other proof of service. Excluded from the discount are sales via Lowes.com, previous sales, and purchases of services or gift cards. The offer is not redeemable for cash and is nontransferable.

In addition to offering military discounts, Lowe’s has extended benefits for its employees serving in the military and offers employment opportunities to military personnel after their military service has ended.

Internationally recognized tennis star Anna Kournikova journeys to Turkey and Germany to visit U.S. troops and their families as part of her second USO tour May 16-21. Traveling to the region to extend her heartfelt gratitude to those serving in America’s armed forces, Kournikova will speak to military schoolchildren about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following their dreams. She will also inspire youth and visit wounded service members receiving care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the USO Warrior Center.

Known worldwide as one of today’s leading female professional athletes, Kournikova is often looked up to as a role-model for her success in tennis and her commitment to sportsmanship. In October 2008, Kournikova flew to Guam and participated in her first-ever USO tour. While on the island, she made 14 tour stops and met with more than 2,900 troops and their families.

“My last USO tour was so much fun that I couldn’t wait to get back out there and do it again,” said Kournikova. “There is nothing quite like spending time with our nation’s military community. They give their all and sacrifice so much. I really can’t thank them enough.”

Nearly 125,000 American military men and women are buried overseas in the lands where they fell. The bodies of almost 100,000 more have never been found. But not one of them has been forgotten.

This Memorial Day, May 25, at 10 PM (ES T), a new PBS documentary “Hallowed Grounds” features footage of 22 overseas U.S. military cemeteries from World Wars I and II, and vignettes about the heroic men and women buried there, and those who visit them.

Some of the featured were well known, including the poet Joyce Kilmer, two of Theodore Roosevelt’s sons, band leader Glenn Miller, the five Sullivan brothers, and General George S. Patton. But most were ordinary men and women of all backgrounds, caught in the calamity of war.

Each of these overseas military cemeteries provides a constant reminder in the countries where they reside of the tremendous sacrifice Americans had made to preserve peace and freedom in the world. And they create a fitting resting place for those who paid the ultimate price.

Check local listings for exact broadcast times in your area.

Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa and Lake Blackshear Resort & Golf Course will honor military moms every Sunday for the entire month of May, giving them 50 percent off on all resort, activities and room rates. At Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa activities include spa treatments, golf and horseback riding. At Lake Blackshear Resort & Golf Course activities include golf, fishing and a variety of water activities, like boating, cruises, and jet skis.

Considered one of the best kept secret in Georgia, Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa has long been known as Georgia’s premier mountain resort. With more than 100 lodge-style guestrooms in the main Lodge and eight secluded log cabins, each with four cozy guestrooms. It rests on 503 acres surrounded by the majestic and natural beauty of the North Georgia Mountains. The resort has eighteen-hole Championship Golf (ranked by both Golf Digest and Leading Golf Courses of America as one of the top courses to play in Georgia), stables, miles of hiking trails and the Equani Spa.

The Equani Spa offers an array of therapeutic services, from traditional massage, beauty and body treatments utilizing holistic Native American healing and relaxation techniques that complement the resort’s natural outdoor and recreational environment. Many of the services are unique to this Spa throughout the state of Georgia. Designed and furnished in the resort’s upscale lodge-style and Native American motif, the spa features Cherokee hand-crafted furnishings, natural timbers and other “refined rustic” elements in keeping with the main lodge theme. A variety of indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, fire pits, decks and hot tub with communal gathering area, the Equani Spa is just steps from the main lodge entrance.

Lake Blackshear Resort & Golf Club, situated on the shores of Lake Blackshear and in the middle of Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park, is South Georgia’s premier lakeside resort and conference center, offering an abundance of outdoor activities, wildlife and sporting diversions. The Resort offers 14 lodge guestrooms, 64 villas and 10 lakeside cabins. The onsite Marina provides an assortment of boating and fishing amenities for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages including Lady Liberty, a 60-foot charter boat, the largest vessel on Lake Blackshear, accommodating up to 50 passengers for any occasion. Listed on Golf Digest magazine’s list of four star-rated courses, Lake Blackshear offers guests 18 holes of championship golf.

For more information about the two resorts please visit: www.BrasstownValley.com and www.LakeBlackshearResort.com.

Offer Notes: For the purposes of this promotion, military moms are those who are/were active duty or reservists, mothers of children who are/were active duty or reservists, women who have children with someone who are/were active duty or reservists. Room rates apply for Sunday-Monday stays. The activities are limited to those listed above for each resort.