Photo By Staff Sgt. Melissa Parrish | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kaitlin Sarver, 26, native of Oak Creek, Wis. and U.S....... read more read more
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PRISTINA, Kosovo – Soldiers from Kosovo Forces 19 loaded two vans to the brim with boxes of donations for children who live at SOS Kinderdorf, a facility that provides assistance to kids and families in need, April 28.
Kinderdorf has 77 orphans ranging from a few weeks old to 20 years old who live on the Pristina campus. There are also families Kinderdorf supports who do not live on the campus so they can integrate with the local community.
“This is something that touches home to me,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kaitlin Sarver, 26, native of Oak Creek, Wisconsin and U.S. National Support Element administrative noncommissioned officer. “I grew up in a big family, I have six siblings. My brothers and I were all adopted from different backgrounds. A lot of my brothers have mental disabilities and learning disabilities so my heart really reaches out to this sort of thing just to be able to help anybody in need.”
The donations were made by U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and family and friends in the U.S. Items that were donated include clothes, toys, car seats, book bags, crayons and coloring books, stuffed animals and many other items suitable for infants to high school students.
“This makes me feel like I can be part of the big picture,” said Sarver. “I feel like you should always reach out to those around you. The fact that we can reach these families in need is truly awesome. It is not just something you do for a bullet or a pat on the back, but you do it because that is something you should do. If I can touch somebody else’s life and make a difference then that’s why I am here.”
The contributions made by the Soldiers are essential, but their time with the children is just as important.
“The children need this attention,” said Vjollca Shahini, the project coordinator for SOS Kinderdorf. "They need people. Sometimes even spending time with them is more valuable than items. It is an organization that is based on donations. Our motto is ‘a little from you means a lot to us.’"
KFOR Soldiers have made visits to Kinderdorf in the past and the children, as well as the workers, enjoy every time they visit, said Shahini.
“The kids enjoyed seeing the Soldiers,” added Shahini. “I want to give a huge thank you to the Soldiers. Lots of people donate out of the goodness of their hearts, but with Soldiers it’s more special. The kids feel a little bit more empowered because they don’t get to see Soldiers every day.”
Last month Camp Film City, Kosovo hosted a 5k run, the first of its kind, to raise money for SOS Kinderdorf. Over 2,000 Euro was raised and Soldiers will escort Kinderdorf workers to buy items for the students and their families.
“I am looking forward to doing future events and being involved,” said Sarver. “I have only been here a few weeks but I have hit the ground running. I am proud to be here, but I didn’t do this alone. There were several other counter parts that came together to make this happen today. I thank them for it, and I am grateful to be a part of something like this.”
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2015 16:20 |
| Story ID: | 161575 |
| Location: | PRISTINA, ZZ |
| Hometown: | OAK CREEK, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldiers in Kosovo donate to children, by MAJ Judith Marlowe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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