Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

MFRI at Purdue University

ALA Federal and Military Libraries Roundtable

Does your library want to host Our Heroes’ Treein your facility around Veterans Day this year?

Questions? Contact Nancy Faget zemogogog@yahoo.com

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

MFRI at Purdue University

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

What is MFRI?

The Military Family Research Institute is a research and outreach organizationbased at Purdue University, funded by the Lilly Endowment, the Office of Military Community and Family Policy in the Department of Defense, and others. Guided by the belief that discovery, learning, and engagement are essential components of a strong research and outreach program, our goal is to create meaningful relationships that bring organizations together in support of military families.    Our mission is to conduct studies that provide insight into the experiences of military members and their families, and to design and implement outreach activities that assist military families in Indiana and beyond.  MFRI strives to proactively build relationships with partners in both the military and civilian communities.

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Our  Heroes’  Tree  Frequently  Asked  Questions  ℠

 What  is  the  Our  Heroes’  Tree℠  program?  

Marlene  Lee  and  Stephanie  Pickup  co-founded Our Heroes’ Tree  in 2005 ℠ to honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s military families. Our Heroes’ Tree consists of community members (groups or individuals) creating handmade ornaments honoring service members from past and present  wars, conflicts and peacetime operations.  These ornaments are then placed on a tree.  Stories about individual service members can also be submitted and displayed in a binder near the tree.  With several thousand Hoosier military members currently deployed overseas, the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University saw this program as a means to pay special tribute to these families in the state of Indiana.        The program seeks to bring groups of people or individuals together to recognize military service in Indiana and to increase availability of resources in communities to support veterans, service members and their families.   

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Started in Indiana libraries

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Branching out beyond the State of Indiana  

 

MFRI approached ALA Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Roundtable to ask if the federal libraries wanted to participate in 2009.

MFRI would be interested in feedback from librarians to help them enhance and improve their resource kits, reading lists, and bibliographiesfor future years.

MFRI has secured funding to ship resource kits to any federal library that wants to participate in 2009.

MFRI staff have connections to the office of the First Lady and will approach the White House about hosting a Heroes’ Tree.

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Resource Kit Contents

Our Heroes’ Tree Contents of Resource Kits(provided to the library to support the program)

1. How to Help Military Families publications are intended to start a conversation with different segments of the local community on how they can support and interact with military families

2. Five circulation items for the library collection with lesson plans focusing on experiences of military children and families

3. Ideas for outreach and marketing the project ( posters, bookmarks, fliers, press releases, suggestions for hosting a workshops for patrons who want to create ornaments)

4. Age specific educational curriculum from the History Channel (True Story of Veterans Day DVD and Take a Vet to School program)

5. Flags and ribbon to decorate your Heroes’ Tree6. Directions to upload the physical ornaments7. Evaluation form and return envelope

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

One example of Resource Kit contentsCHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES associated with popular literature

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Sample Lesson Plan

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Steps to participate

Register at www.cfs.purdue.edu/mfri  to participate.

ALA FAFLRT will help to promote the project and participating libraries  

Sign up by August to ensure your library receives all resource items.    

Resource kits will arrive by about October 1  

Create a space, a wall, a bulletin board, or bring in a tree sothe library has a place where tributes to Our Heroes can be displayed

 Evaluate the program, send virtual images to MFRI

Our Heroes’ Tree

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

Last year’s brochure

(MFRI can tweak for federal libraries)