Photo By Grady Fontana | SINGAPORE — Keystone Club member Sydney Pieske carries a stack of books as she...... read more read more
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SINGAPORE — Military Sealift Command Far East’s (MSCFE) two month-long children’s book drive, sponsored by MSCFE and the Singapore Area Coordinator Community in Sembawang, here, concluded Nov. 10 after the local Sembawang community donated more than 1,000 books.
“We initially had set a goal of collecting 1,000 books,” said Lt. Cmdr. Glen D. Kitzman, chaplain, MSCFE. “I thought it might be a far reaching target, but the community really pulled together and we met our goal.”
The books were collected and are scheduled to be delivered to local school children in Rayong and Chantabri, Thailand, in December during a community outreach event. The local school officials had expressed a desire for English books.
The books will travel as space-available cargo on MSC fleet replenishment oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193) while she travels to Thailand for a scheduled voyage repair.
Volunteers from the Keystone Club, a local teen club in the Sembawang American community, gathered all the books from the various drop boxes that were posted in different high-traffic areas, and divided and categorized the books by age and grade levels.
The Keystone Club members have been assisting with the book drive from the beginning, back in September, with making posters and collection boxes, as well as publicizing the drive.
“I like to give back and help when I can, especially to those who are less fortunate than us,” said Ryan Walker, a student at Singapore American School and member of Keystone Club. “If these books can help them learn to speak English, it really creates more opportunities for them when they get older.”
In December, Kitzman will travel with USNS Walter S. Diehl to Thailand and help deliver and distribute the books.
MSC operates approximately 115 noncombatant, U.S. merchant mariner-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
| Date Taken: | 11.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2015 03:25 |
| Story ID: | 182016 |
| Location: | SG |
| Web Views: | 206 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MSCFE concludes book drive, prepares for community outreach in Thailand, by Grady Fontana, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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