Photo By Staff Sgt. Ross Whitley | Army 1st Lt. Evan Howard, a deployed Ohio Army National Guardmember from Dayton, Ohio,...... read more read more
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AKRON, Ohio - On the morning of Oct. 17, as the sun rose over picturesque Rex Lake, five miles south of Akron, Ohio, its rays shone into the dining hall through a wall of windows. The light filled room was strewn with nearly 800 pounds of children’s clothing, school supplies, craft materials and toys.
While it’s not unusual for the 130-member, Rotary Club of Akron, Ohio, to stockpile donations for children with disabilities at the camp, this bright autumn day was different. Within a few hours, 20 volunteers would arrive to pack the piles of downy, winter coats and pied color crayons in brown boxes to be sent on a 6,500-mile journey.
The Akron Rotary's Operation Deployed for Good would not be completed until late December when these donations were distributed, by deployed Ohio National Guard soldiers, to more than 350 orphans and children with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, 500 miles north of Afghanistan.
The operation would be a joint, volunteer effort to create an international supply chain of donations between Rotarians in Akron, Ohio, and deployed members of the Ohio Army National Guard’s 371st Sustainment Brigade, home station Springfield, Ohio. The project's goal was to provide desperately needed supplies to four charities that serve children with disabilities and orphans in that country’s capital city of Bishkek.
When Ohio deployed nearly 300 of its citizen soldiers in support of the global war on terrorism in the spring of 2013, Graham Reinke, chairman of the Rotary Club’s service project committee, reached out to his contacts at the 371st headquarters in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, asking how Rotarians could support the Ohio troops. Lt. Col. David Seitz, executive officer for the brigade, knew exactly where Reinke’s offer for support was most needed.
Early in the deployment, Seitz had learned of the needs of the children and orphans who lived near the U.S. Air Force Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan.
While conducting a mission at the transit center, Seitz discovered that orphanages and programs for children with disabilities in the country suffer from poor funding and struggle to acquire educational supplies and clothing for the destitute and abandoned children they serve.
Based on his experience in Kyrgyzstan and Reinke’s offer of support from Rotary, Seitz worked with some of his fellow 371st officers in Kuwait to craft a proposal of charitable relief for consideration by the Akron Rotarians.
“We saw a need near where we were serving and a number of soldiers in our brigade wanted to make a difference for the Kyrgyz children,” said Seitz.
“We are a brigade of logistic, supply chain specialists who were looking to help. I knew if the Rotarians could provide the supplies, our soldiers could deliver.” Seitz continued. “All we needed was a good plan.”
During July, Seitz and his team in Kuwait developed a concept of support plan for Operation Deployed for Good that identified the critical needs of Bishkek-area children’s charities. This plan was then used by Reinke and his committee in Akron, throughout August, September and October, as they worked to collect supplies and monetary donations to purchase supplies.
The essential items, gathered from club members and their business associates included children’s clothing, winter coats, craft supplies, pencils and other school supplies. By mid-October, the club had amassed a generous trove of supplies at their camp weighing approximately one-third of a ton.
On Oct. 17, when it was time to gather at the Rotary camp to sort, inventory and pack the supplies for shipping to the 371st element in Manas, there was no shortage of volunteers. Douglas Hausknecht, a Rotarian and University of Akron faculty member, helped coordinate the packing and shipping effort.
“Getting items sorted, inventoried, packed, sealed and documented required people-power,” said Hausknecht.
Hausknecht, who is the faculty adviser for two student organizations from the university, recruited extra volunteer help for the work day.
“Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and the University of Akron Rotaract students stepped-up and sent members who developed and implemented a system that got the job done efficiently,” said Hausknecht.
The volunteers sorted and packed 33 boxes of items with care knowing that each coat would keep an orphaned child warm and each crayon would be used by a child with a disability to play and learn. When the large shipment left for Manas later that day, the Rotary Club would pay the $1,000 freight bill.
Operation Deployed for Good’s final phase would be managed by Ohio Army National Guard 1st Lt. Evan Howard, a native of Dayton, Ohio, who was the officer in charge of a 371st warehouse operation in Manas. As the boxes of supplies arrived in Manas during November, Howard ensured they were staged, opened, inventoried and sorted.
Recognizing the challenges that the operation’s delivery phase would include, Howard recruited Air Force Staff Sgt. Nadia Wolfe, a host nation liaison and Russian-speaking linguist with the 376th Expeditionary Wing, also stationed at the transit center. Wolfe, a native of Kyrgyzstan, who now lives in San Antonio, had contacts with Bishkek-area charities.
The two would put together a delivery plan and prep for the multiple missions by obtaining off-post travel permits and planning travel routes to four Bishkek charities.
During December, the delivery team of Ohio soldiers realized the impact of Operation Deployed for Good as they met the children who would benefit from the well-traveled donations. After each delivery, Howard and his soldiers visited with the staff and the children at the charities.
During the first mission on Dec. 8, the element delivered approximately 316 pounds supplies to Nadjeshda Children's Center, a school that serves 72 Kyrgyz children with disabilities from impoverished families.
While at the Nadjeshda center, Howard took a few minutes to read a book with Daniar, an energetic, 5-year-old boy who receives services from the center. Despite his many challenges, little Daniar demonstrated a resilient spirit that impressed the service member volunteers who met him.
Howard would later speak of his experience at the center and meeting Daniar: "This was a very exciting and humbling opportunity. Giving back is essential.”
Deployed for Good would finish with deliveries to three more charities by Howard’s team. Dec. 9, 213 pounds of supplies were delivered to the Uventis School that serves 21 Kyrgyz teens and adults with developmental disabilities, ages 15 and older by teaching life skills and vocational skills. On Dec. 23, the 371st soldiers completed the operation when they delivered the final 261 pounds the supplies to the Belovodskiy Orphanage that serves 160 children ages birth to 7 and the Voenno-Antonoskiy Orphanage that serves 101 children ages 7 to 17.
Wolfe acted as a guide on each delivery and assisted the Ohio soldiers by translating communications with the charities’ employees. After seeing the soldiers playing with the children during the deliveries, Wolfe was struck with emotion.
After the last delivery was done, Wolfe commented in her characteristic Russian accent, “These gifts mean so much to all the orphans touched by this generosity,” she said. “We were able to provide joy to these children that have next to nothing. We gave Daniar what is likely the only present he will receive this holiday season.” Wolfe continued. “Thanks to charities like the Akron Rotary Club and people with big hearts who deploy, kids like Daniar had a very special holiday season.”
When word of the successful deliveries made it back to Akron, Lance Chima, president of the Rotary Club, was thrilled and praised the Ohio soldiers’ participation.
“Working on this international service project, hand-in-hand with Ohio’s deployed soldiers, has been an honor,” he said. “Our club has reached-out to Akron-area children with special needs for most of its 100-year history. Given the opportunity to connect though our fellow Ohioans in the 371st, it seems natural to support children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan.”
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.09.2014 05:56 |
| Story ID: | 118949 |
| Location: | AKRON, OH, US |
| Hometown: | AKRON, OH, US |
| Hometown: | COLUMBUS, OH, US |
| Hometown: | DAYTON, OH, US |
| Hometown: | SPRINGFIELD, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 327 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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