Capflyer 120514

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION OF COMPRINTMILITARY PUBLICATIONS AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS,MD.DCMILITARY.COM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014 | VOL. 3 NO. 48

AIR FORCE NEWSUSAF Band brings flash of holiday cheer, Page 3

BASE NEWSGreat American Smokeout comes

to Andrews, Page 4

COMMENTARYAsking for help is sign of strength

not weakness, Page 2

BY BOBBY JONESSTAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST

The Air National Guard(ANG) Readiness Center teamshowed little – if any – pre-game jitters during their de-but game against the veteran,459th Air Refueling Wing atthe Intramural Basketballseason opener at the West Fit-ness Center Dec. 1.

After winning the openingtip off, ANG’s newly formedteam was fueled with the an-ticipation of making a goodshowing.

During the first quarter ofplay, the ANG team led thepace with fast breaks, anddominating the backboardsdefensively with rebounds, al-lowing only the 459th’s moreseasoned veterans one shoteach time they came down thecourt. Jamin Hammad, ANG’spower forward/center, was akey force inside the paint, pull-ing down several rebounds.

With only a few months ofcoaching under his belt, ANGassistant coach, David Kem-pel, quickly recognized someof the key players on his team.“Calvin Simpson, my pointguard is a good leader. I look

to him for stability in leadingthe team during times of pan-ic… I count on him to settle ev-eryone down. Calvin’s brother,Joshua, is also an asset to ourteam.”

From the beginning of thesecond half until to the lastseconds of the game, the vet-eran 459th team challengedthe agile, fast-gunning ANGsquad, turning the game intoa nail-biting, see-saw, battle.However, due to numerousturnovers and key playersmissing from their roster, the459th lost the season open-er, 29 to 27 against the ANGsharp shooters.

“Last year we were theregular season champs,” said459th player/coach, MichaelWilson. “This year our teamis a work in progress. I re-ally wished we had all of ourplayers tonight,” Wilson said.“We’re missing a lot of bodiesfrom the team at this time. Istill have Derek White, a die-hard player, and Scott Wil-liams, a veteran player, thatI can depend on to get the jobdone, but we’re still buildingblocks.”

ANG wins game debutagainst veteran 459th

JOINT BASE ANDREWS LEADERSHIPSERVES AT THE DFAC FOR THANKSGIVING

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/AIRMAN 1ST CLASS JOSHUA R. M. DEWBERRY

Chief Master Sgt. Vance Kondon, 11th Wing command chief,helps serve lunch to dining facility patrons on Thanksgiving atJoint Base Andrews. Base leadership traditionally serves food atthe DFAC during the holiday season for fellow airmen.

see GAME, page 4

BY LESLIE C. SMITHSTAFF WRITER

Gearing up for another yearof serving during the holidayseason, the Armed ServicesYMCA was busy wrapping toysfor the Women’s Day HolidayJoy campaign which they willgive during a special event to-night on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.

“All the donations thatcome in from the Women’sDay Holiday Joy go straight tomilitary families. We give it toour branches where they haveturkey for the families or foodfor the families and they havetoys for the families. What wedo at headquarters is that wehave the toys because we’renot a branch. I have about 80kids from Joint Base Andrewsthat we are going to be givingtoys on Friday at an event atBolling for enlisted members,”Giselle Schneider, Director ofPrograms/Operation Kid Com-fort Coordinator, shared.

The National Board Coor-dinator and Office Managerfor Armed Services YMCA Na-tional Headquarters, Stepha-nie Franke’s husband, MasterSgt. John Smith, is currently

with Security Forces at JointBase Andrews. “I asked himcan you find us some enlistedfamilies that we can target togive toys for Christmas; andthrough him I was able to geta bunch of families. This waythe families are getting themdirectly. It helps the enlistedfamilies because that is whowe target through many of ourprograms.”

“The toys were donated

through different companieslike Lego which donated someitems, but many donated toGood 360 and we get themthrough Good 360.” Schneideradded.

Headquartered in Spring-field, Va., the Armed ServicesYMCA provides programs andsupport services to militaryservice members and their

Armed Services YMCAstrives to make lifeeasier for military families

see YMCA, page 6

PHOTO/LESLIE SMITH

Armed Service YMCA’s Operation Kid Comfort provides a bitof comfort to children who may have a parent deployed.

BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASSJOSHUA R. M. DEWBERRY

11TH WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Team Andrews Airmenshould be aware of the in-clement weather coming thiswinter.

“Last year’s winter seasonlasted longer than expectedand caused several instancesof base closure,” said WilliamBabcock, Deputy Director forInstallation Support.

In previous years, An-drews’ closures were usually

in line with Office of Person-nel Management’’s guidanceand would close the basewhen it was advised by OPM.However, due to cases whereharsh weather would hit ar-eas near Andrews, but notdirectly affect the Andrewscommunity, Andrews will op-erate on its own schedule.

The JBA commander willdetermine JBA’s operatingstatus. It will be determinedby weather conditions, snowclearing operations on JBA,available OPM guidance,

available school closures andinstallation mission consider-ations.

“We will consider theOPM’s guidance when mak-ing our decision for JBA,”said Col. Brad Hoagland,11th Wing/JBA commander.“However, based on lessonslearned from last year, wewill incorporate other factorsinto the decision making pro-cess, most notably the abilityto keep the airfield operable

Brace yourself, winter is coming

see WINTER, page 5

Andrews Gazette2 Friday, December 5, 2014

Andrews Gazette is published by Comprint MilitaryPublications, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg,Md., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S.Air Force or any branch of the United States military.The appearance of advertising in these publications,

including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsementby the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force orthe products and services advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available forpurchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion,sex, national origin, age,martial status, physical handicap, political af-filiation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchases, user or patron.

COMPRINT MILITARY PUBLICATIONS

Maxine Minar, [email protected]

John Rives, [email protected]

Deirdre Parry, page [email protected]

Leslie Smith, [email protected]

Bobby Jones, [email protected]

BY MAJ. GEN. MARK BROWN ANDMASTER SGT. DERIK NEW

2ND AIR FORCE

Growing up I was a big fanof Muhammad Ali. He was theworld heavyweight boxing cham-pion and unashamedly referred tohimself as “The Greatest.” I viv-idly remember a reporter askingAli, “When did you know that youwere ‘The Greatest?’” Before Alicould answer, the reporter offered,“Perhaps it was when you knockedout George Foreman in 1974?”

Ali shook his head in disagree-ment, so the reporter continued.

“Maybe it was when you de-stroyed Sonny Liston in the worldheavyweight championship in1964?” Again, Ali shook his head.

Then Ali told the story of whenhe knew he was the greatest. Ithappened in 1973 when he facedKen Norton at the San DiegoSports Arena. As Ali entered thearena, the crowed was in a frenzy,cheering “Ali, Ali, Ali!”

The world champion stepped inthe ring and quickly found him-self overmatched against the big-ger Norton, suffering a broken jawin the second round. Ali found thestrength to finish the 12-roundbout, but suffered only his seconddefeat in 43 professional fights.Through this trial, after havinghis jaw broken and being knockedsenseless but somehow remainingon his feet, is when Ali truly came

to believe he was the greatest.To prove that point, Ali went on

to beat Ken Norton in their nexttwo matches.

Being knocked out and havingto bounce back is all but inevitablefor most of us. This is especiallytrue for those of us in the businessof delivering air power for Amer-ica. Our mission can be stressfuland those stresses can be furthercomplicated by the everyday chal-lenges of life. The good news isthat, regardless of our situation,there is always a helping hand.The act of reaching out to theseindividuals may be difficult, butshould never be thought of as asign of weakness. In fact, recog-nizing you need help, and seekingthat help, only builds resilienceand strengthens your character.Knowledge of this indirect benefitis well documented throughouthistory.

Per John Heywood, an Englishauthor and playwright in the ear-ly 16th century; “If you will calltroubles experiences, and remem-ber that every experience devel-ops some latent force within you,you will grow vigorous and happy,however adverse your circum-stances may seem to be.”

We all need help every now andthen. Some individuals feel verycomfortable asking for financial,spiritual, physical, or emotionalhelp during difficult times; how-

ever, many others are unable torecognize when help is needed, orare just reluctant to ask. For thosewho prefer to do things them-selves, so as not to burden others,the situation or experience caneventually become such a weightthat the individual is unable togo at it alone or is already in overtheir head.

Air Force physicians, mentalhealth providers, chaplains, firstsergeants, commanders, and wing-men are all there to help. Thereare also many programs that al-low you to talk or research yoursituations, such as our familyreadiness centers, our MilitaryCrisis Line, the Air Force SuicidePrevention web site, the SexualAssault Prevention and ResponseProgram, and The Airman’s Guidefor Assisting Personnel in Dis-tress. But the fact remains, if youdon’t reach out, it’s difficult to of-fer assistance.

As military members, yourcountry relies on your service andwe understand the burden thatcan be levied upon you and yourfamilies. Always remember, youare not alone with this and some-one is there to help.

My wish to you this holidayseason is that you will ask for helpif you need it. Just remember thateven “The Greatest” had to bounceback to truly realize his greatness.

CommentaryAsking for help is sign of strength not weakness

December 5-7Noon-5 p.m.15th Annual Gingerbread House Contest & ShowDarnall’s Chance House Museum, 14800 Gover-

nor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro 20772Come view an amazing display of edible ginger-

bread houses. You will have the opportunity to votefor best house in the Viewer’s Choice Award Compe-tition. $1/person; Children 4 & under free

December 910:15 and noonCricket on the HearthPublick Playhouse, 6600 Kenilworth Avenue,

Riverdale, MD 20737This classic story was Charles Dickens’ most

popular holiday tale in 19th century London. The-atre IV’s new musical shows how lucky it is tohave a cricket on the hearth watching over things,especially if you’re a poor and kindly toymakerwith a beautiful blind daughter, a curmudgeonlyboss, and a mysterious stranger as a houseguest.Curriculum Connections: language arts, literaryclassic, music, reading, character development,history, and family

Through January 1Festival of Lights5-9:30 p.m.Watkins Regional Park, 301 Watkins Park Drive

(Route 193) Upper Marlboro, MD 20774Don’t miss this holiday drive-through event fea-

turing more than one million twinkling lights. Thisyear’s Festival features new displays.

$5/car or van; $10/multi-visit, transferable passfor cars and vans (3 visits); $15/mini-bus (seats 13- 24) or limo; $25/bus (seats 25 or more, no reserva-tions required)

Multi-visit passes on sale nightly at the gateFREE on December 25Please bring canned goods for donation to local

food banks to make a difference this holiday season.

Through January 4Gaylord National’s ICE!201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Md.A special interactive, 100-acre, walk-through

holiday park featuring a winter wonderland cre-ated of 2 million pounds of ice, hand sculpted byinternational artisans. This year’s theme is Frostythe Snowman.

Price and hours vary, with discounts for Militarywww.gaylordnationaltickets.com, 301-965-4000

Hot ticketsaround town

‘Mystery Shoppers’ HelpAAFES

The Army & Air Force ExchangeService (AAFES) regularly seeksshoppers’ feedback on how the or-ganization is doing in supportingtheir needs. As part of this effort,the Exchange Mystery Shopperprogram identifies a select groupfrom each installation to go abouttheir normal day-to-day shoppingfor six months and detail theirexperience in a series of threesurvey sets. Mystery Shoppersare rewarded for their participa-tion with a $30 exchange gift cardand two movie tickets along withpopcorn and drinks. If three setsof surveys are completed within asix-month period, Mystery Shop-pers receive $90 in gift cards andsix movie passes.

“Not only is the Exchange Mys-tery Shopper program a great wayto improve the shopping experi-ence, but it allows shoppers to takeownership of military shopping allover the world,” said CMSgt. TonyPearson, the exchange’s SeniorEnlisted Advisor.

There are currently about 350active Mystery Shoppers at 130Army and Air Force installationsworldwide.

Army Upgrades LodgingThe Army has contracted its

transient lodging, which has re-sulted in a rate increase at mostinstallations. No similar moveswere announced by the other mili-tary services. Most daily rateshave been affected by Defensebudget cuts. The privatized Armylodging has resulted in construc-tion of two new hotels at Fort Bel-voir, Va. In November, the formerKnadle Hall opened as a HolidayInn Express. Staybridge Suitesis scheduled to open next fall.Staybridge will offer 141 guestrooms with amenities designedfor wounded warriors and theirfamilies.

Shots at WalgreenVeterans Affairs has joined

with Walgreens to provide greateraccess to recommended vaccina-tions to veterans. This partnershipgrew out of a pilot program that

began in Florida to provide fluvaccines. Through its nearly 8,200locations, Walgreens offers recom-mended vaccinations. Walgreenspharmacists at nearly 8,200 loca-tions can administer vaccinationsto veterans and share immuniza-tion records with VA. Vaccinationsare available during pharmacyhours with no appointment neces-sary, subject to availability. Age,state and health related restric-tions may apply. Many immuniza-tions may be covered by insuranceplans, Medicare Part B or Medi-care Part D. Patients are encour-aged to check their health planfor specific coverage details. Formore information, call 1 800-WAL-GREENS or visit www.walgreens.com.

The Retiree Activities Office isopen 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday. Visit the officein Building 1604 at Californiaand Colorado Avenues or call 301981-2726. Call before your visit toensure a volunteer is on duty. TheRAO has a website at www.an-drews.af.mil.

Retiree Corner

Andrews GazetteFriday, December 5, 2014 3

USAF BAND BRINGS FLASH OF HOLIDAY CHEER

Col. Larry H. Lang, United States Air Force Bandcommander, thanks audience members aftertheir flash mob at the Smithsonian National Airand Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center.

Master Sgt. Joshua Kowalsky, United States Air Force ConcertBand cellist, talks with his daughter after their flash mob atthe Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Udvar-HazyCenter. The band’s mission is to honor those who have served,inspire American citizens to heightened patriotism and service,and positively impact the global community on behalf of the U.S.Air Force and America.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS/ SENIOR AIRMAN NESHA HUMES

A boy watches the United States Air Band perform during a flash mob at the Smithsonian NationalAir and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center Dec. 2 in Chantilly, Va. The band put on the event to pro-mote their upcoming holiday concerts in the National Capitol Region.

Capt. Gilberto Perez, White House Commu-nications Agency network systems chief,and his daughter, watch a flash mob at theSmithsonian National Air and Space MuseumUdvar-Hazy Center.

10502151050214

We have the facilities under one roof toaccommodate your holiday party needs!

Cotillion BallroomAccommodates intimate holiday socials of 50 guests and

lavish galas for 400 guestsMention this ad and receive 25% off the room rental charges

25% OFF Ballroom Rental

Wayfarer RestaurantThree private dining space that accommodates 25 to 50 guests

Mention this ad and receive an extra half an hour for your holiday gift exchange

Decoy LoungeLive Entertainment on Friday and Saturday Nights

Mention this ad to receive a reserved space for your group of 6 guests(based on availability)

7401 Suratts Road, Clinton, MD 20735Sales: 301.877.4800 • Wayfarer Restaurant: 301.856.3343

Decoy Lounge: 301.856.4500 ext. 4411

Reserveyour HolidayParty Todayand Save!


Wilson admittedly noted the teamplay was sloppy and was plagued withseveral ball turnovers.

“The fact that we’re still in the gameis a shocker, because normally, whenyou turn the ball over that many timesyou get blown out of the game. Theirteam played pretty solid ball,” Wilsonsaid.

Elated at his first win as an intra-mural coach, Kempel offered a sim-ple strategy to challenge the veteransquadron.

“Our game plan was: number one,not lose our cool; secondly, we’re a run-ning team and I wanted my guys toshoot them out of the zone defense;and, lastly, live and die by the three-pointer,” said ANG coach Kempel. “Ja-varion Ryston was also instrumental intonight’s game. A.J. Simpson is one ofour seasoned three-point shooters and,”Kempel added.

“I’ve only been coaching this teamsince August. I’ve always wanted to dothis because it’s my passion,” the formervarsity coach said. “I figured my chil-dren are grown now, and I now get toexperience working with these talent-ed young men, whose youth and vigoradd to my coaching experience. This isgreat; it’s my first win as a coach,” Kem-pel said.

GAME, from page 1

PHOTO/BOBBY JONES

Scott Williams, 459th Air Refueling Wingforward, left, loses the tip-off to ‘AJ’Simpson, Air National Guard Readi-ness Center forward, at the start of theIntramural Basketball season-openinggame at the West Fitness Center Dec.1., where the ANG beat ARW 29 to 27 fortheir debut.

SPECIAL THE AMERICANCANCER SOCIETY

Every year, on the third Thursday ofNovember, smokers across the nationtake part in the American Cancer So-ciety Great American Smokeout. Theymay use the date to make a plan toquit, or plan in advance and then quitsmoking that day. The Great Ameri-can Smokeout event challenges peopleto stop using tobacco and helps peopleknow about the many tools they can useto help them quit and stay quit.

The Smokeout event has helped dra-

matically change Americans’ attitudesabout smoking. These changes have ledto community programs and smoke-freelaws that are now saving lives in manystates. Annual Great American Smoke-out events began in the 1970s, whensmoking and secondhand smoke werecommonplace.

The idea for the Great AmericanSmokeout grew from a 1970 event inRandolph, Massachusetts, at which Ar-thur P. Mullaney asked people to giveup cigarettes for a day and donate themoney they would have spent on ciga-rettes to a high school scholarship fund.

Then in 1974, Lynn R. Smith, editorof the Monticello Times in Minnesota,spearheaded the state’s first D-Day, orDon’t Smoke Day.

The idea caught on, and on Nov. 18,1976, the California Division of theAmerican Cancer Society got nearly1 million smokers to quit for the day.That California event marked the first

Great American Smokeout, and theSociety took the program nationwidein 1977. Since then, there have beendramatic changes in the way societyviews tobacco advertising and tobaccouse. Many public places and work ar-eas are now smoke-free - this protectsnon-smokers and supports smokerswho want to quit.

Great American Smokeout comes to Andrews

AIR FORCE PHOTO/MASTER SGT. AIMEE KLARMANN

Ms Goff, Tech. Sgt. Millicent Cavazos, Tech. Sgt. Tina Phelps-Prince, Staff Sgt.Candace Moyd reached out to individuals attending the Great American SmokeOut/Turkey Trot run to hand them information on how to stop smoking.

1042745


24/7, as well as the ability for our snowremoval team to clear roads and park-ing lots.”

The flight line, referred to as Amer-ica’s Airfield, is heavily focused on toensure it is always operational.

“We must balance the risk of en-suring mission-essential flying opera-tions continue along with the safetyconcerns for personnel that commuteto and from the base,” said Hoagland.“Our number one objective is to main-tain an operable airfield for the high-est priority flying missions at JBA.”

Also, with harsh weather slated toaffect roadways and traffic, personnelare encouraged to keep safety in mindwhile traveling.

“Make sure to regularly check yourtires, windshield wipers and have ablanket in your car at all times,” saidBabcock.

“It is important for each individualto make a personal risk assessmentto see if they are safe to drive to andfrom work,” said Hoagland. “Clearcommunication with supervisors andbase leadership is paramount to en-sure personnel know the daily statusof the base during inclement weatherconditions.”

Operating status can be accessedthrough the following means: AndrewsStraight Talk phone line: 301-981-5995; www.andrews.af.mil “WeatherWatch” tab on the homepage, Face-book (facebook.com/jointbaseandrews)and Twitter (twitter.com/andrewsair-force) and the Joint Base Andrews App(available on iTunes and Google Play).

Additionally, all JBA personnelmust understand the following terms:

Delayed ReportingEssential personnel should report

for duty on time. Non-essential per-sonnel should report for duty no laterthan the designated number of hours

following a standard 0730L reporttime or their normal reporting time ifit is later. The option for unscheduledleave can be utilized. Non-essentialpersonnel must notify their supervi-sors of their intent to use unscheduledleave and military members must re-ceive supervisor approval before tak-ing unscheduled leave.

Essential Only ReportingEssential personnel must report for

duty on time and may be required toremain on duty if weather is seriousenough to prevent replacements fromsafely reporting. Essential only re-porting implies “base closure” for anynon-essential personnel until operat-ing status is changed.

Early ReleaseEssential personnel are expect-

ed to complete their shifts and maybe required to remain on duty if theweather is serious enough to preventreplacements from safely reporting.Non-essential personnel should de-part in accordance with JBA guidance.Early release implies “base closure” forany non-essential shift workers for theremainder of the calendar day..

Headquarters Air Force District ofWashington’s operating status will bethe same as that published by OPMon their website, http://www.opm.gov.In all situations, personnel must alsocheck and adhere to the operatingstatus of their installation prior to re-turning to work.

WINTER, from page 1

1050212 1050206


families, in particular junior-enlisted men and women. Inaddition to the Holiday Joy program, the Armed ServicesYMCA has another important program designed to of-fer support and comfort for military families – OperationKid Comfort. Originally created at Ft. Bragg/Pope AFBin N.C., “Operation Kid Comfort is where we make quiltsand pillows for children of all the deployed military ser-vice members, not just enlisted. The parents can sign upfor the quilts or pillows through our website.”

The quilt and pillow both have pictures of the deployedparent and the child. “It’s made very unique for the childbecause it has the child’s name, the military seal, theArmed Services YMCA logo and also the Operation KidComfort Logo on it… I try very hard to buy fabrics thatare good quality and also fun for the children – that arebright, cheerful and fun. We found that the kids like thefleece so I go out and buy the fleece that are both color-ful, happy, and cozy because they like to snuggle with it.Our quilters are local quilters…we have a few quiltersthat work all the time in the program; they cut the fabric,

make kits, they are constantly working with the program.They are amazing; one of them even stores the fabric ather house,” Schneider said.

Schneider was moved to volunteer from her own expe-riences as both a child and as a mother:

“They way I found out about Operation Kid Comfortwas that my youngest son, Alexander, was getting readyto be deployed with the Marines; and as you know deploy-ments are usually in the middle of the night,” she joked,“It was very early in the morning, Camp Lejeune, it wastotally dark and foggy so you couldn’t see anything exceptwhat was in front of you, the only person I could see wasmy son. So as a mom, I was just thinking of the perspec-tive of a mom, ‘Oh my son is getting deployed; I’m not go-ing to get to see him.’ Then,when the sun came up, the fogis gone, I look around and I see other parents like myselfand then what struck me was when I saw the children…,”her voice trails off. “I saw the children and I thought ‘Ohmy gosh, how selfish I am thinking just about myself andhere are these children…their parent is deploying.’ ”

“I had flashbacks to when I was little girl. I came tothis country when I just turned 6 and my dad couldn’tcome because he couldn’t leave when we left so my momleft with two little kids by herself.We were alone withoutmy dad for what ended up being for two years. I knewwhat those children were about to go through. It makesme cry all time because I know what it’s like to be thatchild – to have your parent gone and you really don’t havea grasp of why and you have no concept of time. I wouldhave loved to have had anything with a picture of my dad;when we left we couldn’t bring anything – no pictures,nothing.

“So when I left Camp Lejeune came back to NorthernVirginia with my husband, I started searching throughthe Internet looking for organizations that helped mili-tary children. I had to do something; I just can’t experi-ence that and not do something. So when I came back Ifound Operation Kid Comfort …I started making quiltsright away. I was making quilts and some other peoplewanted to learn how to make them so I volunteered to goand teach them how to make them. Later they then hiredme to run the program and it’s something very dear tomy heart because I know what it’s like to be that child…,”Schneider said while wiping away tears. “Because whena parent is gone, a lot of times children just don’t under-stand… When we were in Florida and a thunderstormwould come, I would have loved to have been able to sit inmy dad’s lap because that was something that comfortedme. I didn’t have my dad; I didn’t have a picture of mydad. At least, if I had a picture, I could have held it; itwould have been a little hug from my dad.

“[The pictures are] what is so special about thesequilts; it has the children with pictures of themselveswith the parent and so when they look at the quilt, whenthey look at the pillow, they can see themselves with theparent.They can remember that happy time when Daddyshowed me how to ride a bike, or that time when Daddywas reading me a book, or that happy time when we wentto McDonalds and we had a special treat together. What-ever it was, it’s something the child can remember doingwith their parent it’s a great comfort for them. So manymoms have talked to me or written to me and told meabout how the quilts comfort their children in so manyways and I firmly believe it not only comforts the childbut it also comforts the parent that is stateside as well asthe parent that is abroad. Like a little pebble in the water– it comforts the child; it comforts the parent, and anyonewho is connected to that child. When they see that childcomforted they are comforted. It’s a wonderful, wonderfulprogram that I hold very close to my heart,” Schneidersaid.

She shared a number of stories of when the quilt com-forted and offered connection, “The children don’t want tolet go, they take it everywhere, to school for show and tell;many say it’s a hug from Daddy.”

“Sometimes, if we can, we try to surprise them andhave them receive their quilt at school or an event; buteven if they receive it in the mail it’s just as special be-cause they are getting something made specifically forthem. Each quilter that makes it has love for that childand that family and has respect for the military.They aredoing it with love and respect for the family recognizingthe sacrifices the military families make; because theyare all sacrificing – the person that is deployed is sac-rificing but so is the family that is left behind… Alwaysacknowledging they all serve, the sacrifices they all make.The youngest heroes are the children.”

For more information about Armed Services YMCAand it’s programs, visit http://www.asymca.org or see theirFacebook page https://www.facebook.com/ASYMCAOKC.

YMCA, from page 1

PHOTOS/LESLIE SMITH

Giselle Schneider, Director of Programs/OperationKid Comfort, wraps gifts for the Holiday Joy programwhich seeks to add cheer to the holiday for childrenof enlisted personnel through toys.

1043018


1050211


Documents

Capflyer 120514