Kat Lanigan

Kat Lanigan, co-chair of the Kids Serve Too National Kid’s Advisory Board, worked hard to get the Warner Bros Looney Tune characters, including the beloved Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo and Tweety Bird to sign thank you letters to children of deployed military as part of the KS2 “A Thousand Thanks to Military Children” project. Although the project was initially funded by AUSA, the Association of the United States Army, families from all the service branches can request a letter for their children at www.saluteourservices.org.

Kat Lanigan is the daughter of a US Army Reservist and knows the stresses of deployments from firsthand experience. "My goal is to help make sure that kids like me know that they are appreciated and to say thank you to them for their sacrifices," says Kat Lanigan, 16, a student at Westfields High School in Herndon, VA. "It's hard having one of your parents away” adds Kat. “My dad has missed my last three birthdays because of deployments.”

In her role as Co-Chair of the National Kid’s Advisory Board for Kids Serve Too, a non-profit created by military families for military families, Kat Lanigan leads an Advisory Board of military kids from around the nation to help with awareness and deployment issues. KS2 has awarded financial grants in over 36 states around the nation to allow children to stay involved in their extracurricular activities during deployments, host events around the country, and provides educational materials to non-military schools regarding the stresses of deployment on children.

“I know what my dad does is important,” says Kat. “But what we do is important, too. My dad needs to know that I am safe and sound when he is away so he can concentrate on doing his job.”

The Kids Serve Too program relies on support from the community. KS2 is one of the grassroots organizations of America Supports You. America Supports You is an ongoing nationwide program that helps showcase American’s support for the men and women of the Armed Forces.