USO Supporter,

This Military Family Appreciation Month, we wanted to share just one example of how programs like the USO Reading Program are a lifeline for military families to keep them connected even when they’re thousands of miles apart.

When the Bishop family first transferred to Spangdahlem Air Base, they leaned on the USO’s support to help them settle into their new life in Germany. A few years later, mom, Megan and her son, Aiden, chose to give back by becoming USO volunteers themselves, building the same community they had once relied on.

The USO Reading Program holds a particularly special place in their hearts. When Master Sgt. Brent Bishop was sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, it was this program that helped ensure he could be home for Aiden’s bedtime.

The USO Reading Program is one of our most popular programs for military members overseas to connect with their families. Typically, service members record themselves reading a book, and the USO sends that recording and a copy of the book home to a son, daughter, sibling or any other child in their life.

The program hosted at Spangdahlem was the opposite. It was the children and spouses who read to the service members in “reverse readings.” Aiden jumped at the opportunity.

“I chose the book ‘I Love You Like No Otter’ because I really do love him like no other. He’s always there for me and I appreciate him a lot.”

For Master Sgt. Bishop, who works closely with the USO to support the well-being of his fellow airmen, receiving the recording from his family was a moment of surprise and joy that impacted him on a personal level.

It’s thanks to the support of the USO that Master Sgt. Bishop and his family can be there for each other even when he’s thousands of miles away — and we want to continue to make that possible for all our service members. In honor of Military Family Appreciation Month, will you help the USO raise $50,000 to support more military members and families like the Bishops through programs like USO Reading?

Thank you for standing with our service members and their families, this month and always.

—The USO