WERNERSVILLE, Pa. - Jessica Lynch, the former Iraqi prisoner of war and aspiring kindergarten teacher, visited a camp Tuesday for children separated from their parents by military deployments.

"It's a way I can give back to these children, and it ties in with the military, so it's the perfect thing," said Lynch, who continues to recover from injuries suffered during her March 2003 Humvee crash and subsequent capture.

Lynch greeted some of the 156 children attending a YMCA camp in Wernersville, about 55 miles northwest of Philadelphia, signing autographs and posing for pictures. Camp Keystone Courage is part of Operation Purple, the first of 12 summer camps that have been organized across the country to help children cope with the stress of a parent's absence.

"It's pretty cool because you can meet other kids who've been through the same thing," said Jananne Ferrere, 11, of York, whose father returned in March from a year in Kosovo.

Operation Purple was organized by the National Military Family Association, a nonprofit group that advocates for military families, and funded with a $500,000 grant from the Sears American Dream Campaign, a philanthropic effort by Sears, Roebuck and Co.

During a formal program at the camp, Lynch announced she would donate $10,000 from her charitable foundation to fund future camps.

The camps are free or require only a nominal registration fee. And children do not have to have a parent who is currently deployed overseas in order to qualify, said Candace Wheeler, the association's president.

"If children are separated from their parents, it really doesn't matter if they're in Iraq or not. It adds to the stress if they're over in a war-torn area, but they're still dealing with the same concerns," Wheeler said. "Even the (parents) that are at home ... are constantly working. The pace has really picked up for all of the services."

Camp Keystone Courage offers all the standard summer camp activities, from arts and crafts to swimming. But it also provides counseling to help campers cope with their parent's military absences, said Maj. Joe Conrad, state family coordinator for the Pennsylvania National Guard.

During a bonfire gathering on Monday night, for example, Conrad said he and the campers discussed talking about their fears and anxieties with a trusted adult.

"Part of keeping a balance is that we don't keep things contained inside, that we talk our feelings out," he said. "If we keep it inside, eventually it'll blow up and do more damage."

For 11-year-old Terry Scott of Pittsburgh, the camp was a chance to make new friends. He was hanging out with another 11-year-old, John Swidrak of Gambrills, Md., who was eagerly awaiting his turn to have Lynch sign his T-shirt.

Scott's father, a member of the Air Force Reserves, is home now, but had to spend a week in Massachusetts recently, he said.

When he's gone, "it's pretty hard ... he's good at math and stuff, so he always helps me with my homework, and he usually catches baseball with me," Terry said.

Lynch, a 21-year-old former Army supply clerk, became one of the most visible faces of the war when she was rescued from an Iraqi hospital on April 1, 2003. Her convoy was attacked after taking a wrong turn in the Iraqi town of Nasiriyah. Eleven American soldiers were killed and six, including Lynch, were captured.

She suffered two spinal fractures, nerve damage and a shattered right arm, right foot and left leg when her Humvee crashed during the March 23, 2003, firefight.

Lynch joined the military to earn money for college, but is waiting until she finishes therapy before beginning classes.

"It's been very slow, but I see improvements every day," Lynch said Tuesday. "If I'm feeling any pain, I think of how things could have been worse."