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SAN DIEGO - “I can’t imagine not being with my family on Thanksgiving,” said Jeanie Levinson, a 21-year volunteer with the Home for the Holidays program.
Being in the military often means being away from family during the holidays, but The Great Escape at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., offers service members Homes for the Holidays for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Interested geographic bachelors and single service members can sign up at The Great Escape to join host families for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Staff members at The Great Escape match service members with compatible families, taking into consideration factors such as allergies and similar family backgrounds.
Diana “DJ” McCluskey, the social recreation director at The Great Escape, explained that the local community support is significant.
“We always have four to five times more families than service members,” said McCluskey. “It’s a great way for our community to say ‘thank you’ and a great way for our service members to be spoiled.”
McCluskey added that the program attracts dedicated volunteers and many of the families return each year to host Marines or sailors.
“If [a returning family] can’t host a service member, they offer to cook meals for The Great Escape,” said McCluskey.
Home for the Holidays offers more than just a meal for the service members.
“It’s a great time. You can meet new friends. I’m still in contact with all three families [from last year],” said Cpl. Todd Willis, a radio technician with Marine Wing Communication Squadron 38. Willis visited three different families last year, one for each holiday.
Some single service members may be hesitant to go to a stranger’s home for a holiday, but McCluskey encourages, “just give it a shot.”
“It feels really good to us that they enjoy themselves,” said Levinson. “I’ll keep doing this until I die, or until I can’t cook a turkey anymore.”
Todd encourages single Marines in his unit to participate in the program.
For more information or to sign up, contact The Great Escape at (858) 577-6171.
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2010 16:49 |
| Story ID: | 59769 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 9 |
This work, Community opens arms to service members for holidays, by Lisa Tourtelot, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
