As someone who has briefly worn the uniform of our armed forces, I've had the privilege and honor to serve with courageous young adults who took the Oath of Enlistment themselves in order to serve and protect our nation. Many of these young soldiers realize that it is a patriotic move to dedicate the next 3 to 5 years of their lives to the military. However, many of these young soldiers also came from broken homes, lacked guidance, or just needed a place to run away to as they did not want to linger around a toxic environment.

Fast forward to today as a secondary educator, I'm still witnessing these soon-to-be young adults experiencing the same toxic environment they are going home to after a full day of academia. Some may go to work, which delays their return home. Some may stay out late to do the very same thing. It's no wonder the younger generations get into trouble with the law; they'd rather be out and about than being at home.

I believe that it is an ongoing mission to ensure that our children, students, and future generations are able to at least receive the most basic needs in order to sustain life. This may be food, water, hygiene kits, clothing, or even a place to stay if need be.

This is why "CHARLIE MIKE" was formed.

Charlie-Mike are the names we use when we are spelling out in the phonetic alphabet. CHARLIE for the letter "C". MIKE for the letter "M". However, we also utilize Charlie-Mike to signal that we are "Continuing the Mission". Usually, we use this term when there has been a temporary halt during a mission and we can now keep going. But missions are sometimes ongoing and it never stops. I believe this applies to our ongoing mission to ensure our future generations are well taken care of when they are not receiving the love and care at home.

My goal is to be able to provide my students...these human beings...our future generations...the basic needs in order to feel like they can live and get through another day.

Appreciate your time and dedication to the betterment of this world and to our future!