JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md., –
Joint Base Andrews members participated in a volunteer community drive in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Washington, District of Columbia, Jan. 25.
The drive, modeled in the spirit of MLK’s community outreach initiatives, was held at the Community for Creative Non-Violence and The National Center for Children and Families in D.C. where more than 20 volunteers served the community.
“Martin Luther King felt obligated to help his community achieve equal rights,” said Master Sgt. Migheal Campbell, 11th Security Support Squadron operations and training superintendent. “His passion and thoughts turned into tools that any community can use.”
During the drive, volunteers handed out approximately 300 bagged lunches and 100 hygiene kits that they prepared for community members in need at the CCNV.
The CCNV provides food, shelter, clothing, medical care, case management, educational support, and art programs to more than 2,500 community members in need daily.
Later in the day, volunteers traveled to the NCCF and interacted with youth in their after school programs. The NCCF partners with the Children’s National Defense Fund Freedom School for after school and summer reading and leadership programs.
The volunteers read aloud to and helped with scholar’s homework, and answered questions about Air Force careers.
“The community volunteers brought sunshine to the shelter with fresh faces, smiles and good energy,” said Tonya Sherman, NCCF Freedom School program director.
Sherman added that many of the scholars have been coming to the shelter for more than six months and only leave to attend school, so having volunteers visit gives them hope toward a better future.
“As a community, we should feel an obligation to help the people in it,” Campbell said. “We can all help each other because, really, this whole world is just one big community; we just live in it.”
Editor’s note: Due to JBA’s support of events surrounding the 58th Presidential Inauguration, the drive in recognition of MLK Day was planned for Jan. 25.