FORT SHAFTER, HAWAII-- A 5th Battlefield Coordination Detachment family won the Volunteer Family of the Year award on April 18, 2012 at the 2nd Annual Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam volunteer recognition ceremony.
Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Steele, an air space management non-commissioned officer assigned to the 5th BCD and a Montgomery, Ala. native along with his wife Marcia A. Steele, a native of Detroit, Mich. won the Volunteer Family of the Year award.
The Steele family has collectively volunteered more than 224 hours at the Fisher House on Tripler Army Medical Center, Daniel "Chappie" James Lodge #4 and to the Trinity Baptist Church. They have also contributed to multiple organizations within our military and civilian communities.
"There was a soldier from Japan that was dropped off at the Hale Koa Hotel for treatment and I went there and aided the Soldier their entire stay, which lasted six to nine months and prepared soul food for them," said Mrs. Steele.
Equally important, the Steele's have cooked and prepared numerous meals throughout the year, washed dishes, cleaned and ensured that the residents of the Fisher House are well treated.
One benefit of volunteering is the impact on the community. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together. Mrs. Steele has been devoted for more than 6 months to providing daily care and hot meals for cancer patients and helping with their recovery.
"If the patients need a good hot meal they can count on us," said the Steele's. Mrs. Steele later said, "Fisher House has different events for the Soldiers and they're a great organization."
Furthermore, the Steele's support their local Trinity Baptist Church program that provides shelter for the homeless. Their willingness to constantly provide aid and care in multiple organizations across the community reflects their dedication to selfless service to helping others.
"These people have really given from the heart, said Capt. Jeffery W. James, the commander of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.