Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Children who work with the FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress) team aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico will now receive a complimentary copy of Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster—as well as a cuddly plush version of the namesake monster—all thanks to a fundraiser conducted by military spouse Milly Polanco.
Polanco, a math teacher at Quantico Middle/High School, wanted to do something to commemorate Month of the Military Child this past April.
“I feel like military children are not usually thought about, but they are deeply impacted by multiple deployments and the stress of the military lifestyle,” Polanco said.
In addition to teaching full-time, Polanco is a consultant for the publishing company Usborne Books & More, which has a program to match 50 percent of funds raised through book drives. So she decided to hold a book drive to buy as many copies of The Whatif Monster as possible.
She chose that book because it was helpful to her then-eight year old daughter when her husband, Gunnery Sgt. Jason Polanco, now a company first sergeant at The Basic School, was deployed for the third time.
“It really affected her that time,” Polanco said. “Her anxiety got much worse.”
The book, by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt, “teaches children how to tackle anxiety and how to look on the optimistic side of an issue,” Polanco explained. “I thought it would be awesome if for Month of the Military Child I could raise enough money to give the book to more military children.”
She also remembered that FOCUS had helped her daughter through her father’s most recent deployment, so she contacted the organization aboard Quantico. The team told her they were not able to accept donations themselves, but that they would be glad to pass the books along to the families they work with.
“They said they were working with 30 families at the time,” Polanco said. “So my goal was to raise enough money to buy copies of the book for all 30 families.”
She started a Youcaring.com account, crafted a Facebook post, and began phoning friends and family. Within 24 hours, she’d surpassed her goal.
“We ultimately raised enough money to buy 108 sets of the book and the plush,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a more successful fundraiser.”
This was the first fundraiser she’d ever run and she said she was nervous about reaching her goal. “But I realized how many people actually do care,” she said.
FOCUS could only store 50 sets in their offices, so the Polancos are storing 10 boxes full of books and plush monsters in their home until families need them.
Polanco said she is motivated to repeat the fundraiser next April and plans to hold another one in October for pediatric cancer.
Her goal for others who might be thinking about fundraising for a cause is not to put it off.
“Find something you are passionate about, something that drives you to be successful, and just go for it,” she said. “Don’t be afraid.”
“None of this was for me at all,” she added. “It was all for the kids.”
Writer: auphausconner@quanticosentryonline.com