Fun, football, fantastic: Commissaries announce ProCamps event sites

FORT LEE, Va. – Eleven military communities will host the 2018 football ProCamps events for boys and girls this summer thanks to groceries sold in their commissaries.

The installations qualified for a camp based on purchases of select items, like Tide, Bounty, Charmin, Head & Shoulders, Crest and Pampers in their local commissaries from March 19 to April 8. The two-day events are sponsored by Procter and Gamble in partnership with the Defense Commissary Agency and are open for first through eighth grade youth of active duty military, reservists, retirees, and DOD civilian employees.

This year’s 11 ProCamps events are at the following locations: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, California; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

“The Defense Commissary Agency is proud to be a part of this program with corporate partners like P&G and ProCamps, who see the value of taking care of our military children,” said Sallie Cauthers, DeCA’s marketing and mass media specialist. “Besides meeting and playing with actual NFL football players, these children will have fun as they get some valuable tips from the best players in the world. And, even more important, they’ll learn about leadership and teamwork.”

This marks the sixth year P&G has partnered with the commissary to run the NFL Military ProCamps program at installations worldwide, said Molly Fanning, director of partnership marketing for ProCamps.

“Procter & Gamble and ProCamps are proud to partner with the Defense Commissary Agency to provide a once in a lifetime experience to military children all over the world,” Fanning said. “The commissary is the ‘heart’ of the community and so much more than a grocery store.

“These athletes connect with the participants on a deeper level and appreciate the challenges military children go through with parents deploying, moving from installation to installation, making new friends and more,” she added.

ProCamps manages and operates sports camps around the world led by professional athletes. This year they’ve already conducted camps overseas for military children at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and at Naval Base Yokosuka, Japan.

“These camps help children realize that when they have fun, put in the time and the effort, their dreams are within reach,” Fanning said. “I truly love how at each camp, the athletes always remind the campers that they are the true heroes; the resilient ones whom they are proud of and look up to every day.”

For more information about the camps being held at selected sites, contact your local youth sports office or visit your commissary for camp details.

ProCamps Schedule

• June 18-19: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Tyler Eifert, tight end, Cincinnati Bengals; Day 1, 1-4 p.m.; Day 2, 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: June 18, 4:30 p.m.

• June 21-22: Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, LeGarrette Blount, running back, Detroit Lions; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: June 21, 4:30 p.m.

• June 28-29: Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, California, Kyle Rudolph, tight end, Minnesota Vikings; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: June 28, 11:30 a.m.

• June 30 - July 1: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Jonathan Stewart, running back, New York Giants; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: June 30, 4:30 p.m.

• July 9-10: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Steve Smith Sr., NFL Network analyst and former wide receiver for Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: July 9, 4:30 p.m.

• July 9-10: Fort Carson, Colorado, Andre Roberts, wide receiver, New York Jets; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: July 9, 4:30 p.m.

• July 11-12: Fort Knox, Kentucky, Graham Gano, kicker, Carolina Panthers; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: July 11, 4:30 p.m.

• July 12-13: Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, Andre Roberts, wide receiver, New York Jets; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: July 12, 4:30 p.m.

• July 17-18: Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, NFL player TBD; Day 1: 1-4 p.m.; Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: July 17, 4:30 p.m.

• July 17-18: Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, LeGarrette Blount, running back, Detroit Lions; Day 1: 1-4 p.m., Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; meet and greet: July 17, 4:30 p.m.

• July 19-20: Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Alejandro Villanueva, offensive lineman, Pittsburgh Steelers; Day 1: 1-4 p.m., Day 2: 9 a.m. - noon; commissary meet and greet: July 19, 4:30 p.m.

Note: To see videos on the agency’s YouTube page related to ProCamps, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0KuFR7HGIs&spfreload=10 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77OeAsxt7_k. To see photos, go to

https://www.flickr.com/photos/commissary/sets/72157667839537847/with/25944746431/

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.