Month of the Military Child Carnival deemed rousing success

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone recently announced its first ever Month of the Military Child Cohen Clinic Carnival, an afternoon of face painting, magic, fun, and games for the whole family.

Cohen’s Julie Adams and Meghan Williams organized the event, which took place inside and outside the clinic located on Weatherly Drive in Clarksville.

“We’re actually doing it, our first Month of the Military Child Cohen Clinic Carnival,” Adams said. “Going in, we really didn’t know how many people we should expect. At past events we’ve had 60 – 100 kids, but today’s attendance is beyond our wildest dreams. We’re really excited to have this huge turnout.”

Adams said that Williams, the clinic’s Outreach Director had first mentioned this idea way back in 2018. “Meghan said, ‘You know, one day I would love to have a bouncy house in the parking lot, to help us celebrate the military kids’. And, here we are. All of our community partners are here, and they all brought their own do-it-yourself games, and prizes. They also have information about what products and/or services their business offers.

“We also have a dunking booth, County Mayor Wes Golden is getting dunked right now. The bounce house is around the corner. The Marine Corps trailer is here with hot dogs and chips and drinks. There is also an ice cream truck down the way.”

Golden was wrapped in a towel, fresh out of the dunk tank. “We’re out here supporting the military kids today, as part of Month of the Military Child.” Golden said. “I just got out of the dunk tank, and let me tell you, it’s a little cold today. But, it’s worth it. I have no idea how many times I got dunked, but I know my wife and daughter were among the people dunking me,” he laughed. “We’ll have to talk about that when we get home.”

U.S. Army (Ret.) BG Scott Brower replaced him in the dunk tank, and went in countless times over the course of the next hour.

Randy Heath of The Flip’N Axe Throwing Venue & Rage Room had a portable set-up nearby. He had a steady line, children and adults, that wanted to learn axe throwing.

“The folks from Cohen Clinic invited me out,” Heath said. “I just wanted to come out, donate our services, and show people what we do. I’ve had a steady line all day.”

Steven Sellars is a therapist who works with children at the clinic. He was dressed as a pirate. “I’m here at Pirates Cove,” Sellars said. “We wanted to come up with a fun, hands-on activity for the kids. We’re really excited to have such a great turnout today. We’ve actually run out of prizes already. We love our community, and our military families. We’re very fortunate to be here to serve them, and to have some fun with them today.”

Team RWB’s Jimmy Wiesner was overseeing an activity that involved rubber ducks, a kiddie pool, and plastic fishing poles. “We’re here in support of the Month of the Military Child,” Wiesner said. “Cohen Clinic has put this great event together for the community. We love to come out for things like this,and show our support. We are sharing our message about connecting veterans to the community, and our  kids game seems to be a hit. They all want to come and try.”

“Month of the Military Child is a way to celebrate our littlest heroes,” Cohen Clinic’s Adams said. “They have to face some unique challenges. One thing that we really believe in is high-quality mental health treatment for our military children.

“The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone offers mental health treatment for Veterans and active duty soldiers, and their family members, as well as Reservists and members of the National Guard.”