***2/10/2019 Please note: I am no longer updating the blog posts for Citadel parents. See the official school website for the most up to date information***
Since 2010 when my son was cadet at The Citadel I’ve contributed to a blog, first it was the military blog, Off the Base, then I posted my own blog on WordPress, Dorie Griggs. This effort led to beginning Facebook groups for parents of new cadets. There are now groups for the parents of cadets, some grads, in the classes of 2016 – 2021 as well as the group, Military Parents of The Citadel, for parents of cadets and grads on military contracts.
I could not have predicted in 2010 that the blog would still be active, or that I’d still be involved with a school my son graduated from in 2011. As I outlined in the blog post, The Story of my Untraditional Calling, this effort has evolved from a call I have felt to be a supportive presence to people.
Together the groups I started and/or moderate include just under 2,500 members. It is a rewarding experience to help ease the anxiety of new parents. It is also a very time consuming venture. Between moderating the Facebook groups to answering private messages on an average day I interact with between 10 – 30 people daily about something cadet related. This has all been done on my own time at my own expense.
A few very thoughtful and supportive parents in the past couple of years have sent monetary gifts to help me make occasional trips to Charleston to attend events. Some have offered their homes so I don’t incur hotel charges. I am so grateful for their support.
I’ve now moved my blog to this platform to make it possible to add affiliate links and to encourage contributions to my effort to support parents. These links will make it possible for me to derive a small bit of income while providing helpful information to parents. Using the links will help me to continue to help parents and does not cost the user any additional money.
This is a big step for me and uncharted territory. With our own daughter graduating high school in May and heading off to college, I need to find ways to help pay tuition.
As always I welcome your feed back. Thank you for visiting.