VIRTUAL PROCAMPS: Winning installations to participate in P&G’s annual football skills events for military children

FORT LEE, Va. – Select military children on 10 installations will be participating in Procter & Gamble virtual ProCamps during June and July. This is the second year of virtual camps because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

P&G partners with the Defense Commissary Agency, the Army and Air Force Exchange, the Navy Exchange Service Command, the Marine Corps Exchange and the Coast Guard Exchange to provide camps where military youths in grades 1-8 can enjoy activities led by NFL athletes. Entering its ninth year, ProCamps has held more than 90 camps.

Winning installations qualify for ProCamps based on sales of designated P&G products at their local commissaries and exchanges from mid-March to mid-April.

“Big thanks to our industry partners who provide giveaways and promotional events like ProCamps that help boost the quality of life for our commissary and exchange customers,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor for the director of the Defense Commissary Agency.

“Our military children experience a lot of hardships related to a lifestyle of constantly moving from place to place and seeing their parents in uniform deployed,” he said. “These football camps give them a welcome break from those stressors while teaching teamwork, dedication and football skills.”

Virtual ProCamps will be held at the following locations. The participating NFL player is in parenthesis:

• Fort Drum, New York (Latavius Murray), June 24, 10 a.m., EDT

• Air Force Academy, Colorado (Ben Garland), June 25, 4 p.m., MDT – The Air Force Academy will be receiving a Q&A session with the athlete

• Hill Air Force Base, Utah (Andre Roberts), June 29, 12 p.m., MDT

• Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia (Jonathan Allen), July 1, 11 a.m., EDT

• Robins Air Force Base, Georgia (Marquez Callaway), July 7, 11 a.m., EDT

• Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (Clelin Ferrell), July 8, 3 p.m., PDT

• Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England (Rob Gronkowski), July 9, 4 p.m., BST

• Naval Base Yokosuka, Japan (Malcolm Perry), July 17, 9 a.m., JST

• Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (Aaron Jones), July 17, 1 p.m., CDT

• Lewis Main, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (Tyler Lockett), July 18, 1 p.m., PDT

The commissary and exchange on the winning installations will each select two children to participate in drills during the live virtual event on Facebook.com/procamps. These children will receive a signed jersey from the athlete participating at their location, a tailgating kit with P&G products, a $200 NFLShop.com gift card, and a $1,000 exchange gift card and a $1,000 commissary gift card.

Anyone from the installation and other installations can tune in to any and all of the virtual events. Also, once the events air on Facebook they will live on the page for anyone unable to watch it live, said Molly Fanning, vice president of Partnership Marketing.

“We encourage folks to tune into the events and ask questions through the comments section on Facebook as we will be picking questions from the comments section for each athlete to answer throughout the event,” she said.

The ProCamp for the Air Force Academy will feature a twist, Fanning said. It will be a virtual Q&A session not a children’s camp. Four children or families will still be selected from the installation to participate live and will be able to ask Ben Garland a question during the event. Garland played center at the Academy and has played for three NFL teams since 2010. Folks who tune into the event can also ask their questions in the comments section, some of which will be pulled for Garland to answer. 

“With the uncertainty of COVID, it was important for P&G and ProCamps to continue to offer a steady cadence of programs and to give back to the military community, even if it was through virtual events,” Fanning said. “P&G wanted to create some sense of normalcy for kids and families and show them that even with gyms and fields closed, they can still become better athletes and practice football drills in the safety of their own homes.

“Since we couldn’t be in person together, P&G also wanted to provide kids with a special opportunity to interact with NFL players who they often look up to on and off the field.”

-DeCA-

PHOTO CAPTION: NFL stars like Tampa Bay’s Rob Gronkowski will be participating in virtual ProCamps events starting June 24.

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.