N.C. Bankers Group Helps Pay for Military Child Care
April 15, 2003

"North Carolina bankers 'answered the call' by setting up a $100,000 grant to help military families with child-care expenses, Gov. Mike Easley said."

The funds from the North Carolina Bankers Association are the latest initiative to assist the families of an estimated 50,000 troops based in the state who are overseas. The grant was unveiled Monday at a patriotic event at North Carolina National Guard headquarters. "This is a special time of need for them and their families," Easley said in front of a 20-by-35 foot American flag. About 80 guardsmen in camouflage also sat behind him on bleachers.

The money will be split between five major military installations in the state: Fort Bragg ; Camp Lejeune ; Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station; and Seymour Johnson and Pope Air Force bases.

Base family support officials say many families need extra child-care help because spouses who remain at home often hold down jobs. Even as the military family makes more money with combat pay, child-care expenses quickly eat up that windfall.

"It's created a real financial hardship in the military community," said Bobby Henson, director of the Family Support Center at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro . "They have child care costs that they have not anticipated."

The money also may help expand the base "Give Me a Break" program, where spouses can drop off their children with on-base baby sitters free of charge. The program currently has 45 slots at a cost of $30 per 4- or 5-hour session. The money also could subsidize child care in homes where military spouses provide licensed services.

Pope Air Force Base also may spend the money to provide military children more opportunities to go to summer camp after school ends, said Faye Smith, Henson's contemporary at Pope.

The association unveiled a toll-free, 24-hour advice line for spouses and businesses facing financial hardships due to deployment.

"There may be times when a spouse back home or a small business doesn't exactly know who to call," RBC Centura chairman Hal Landis said. The association hopes to "triage their calls and try to get that call to the right bank with the right service."

The association also urged local banks to "adopt" National Guard and reserve units by providing support to families left behind.

Last week, Easley announced a Web site designed to let North Carolinians know how to make donations or volunteer with military families. The site is getting about 10 e-mails a day from potential volunteers, an Easley spokeswoman said.