USO: Providing resources for service members, families

Photo By Beverly A Joyner | U.S. Air Force Airman Leadership School students eat snacks at the USO’s multipurpose activity room at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Feb. 28, 2017. The USO centers are staffed by volunteers who provide service members with recreational activities and programs to help maintain communication with their families. Founded in 1941 as a nonprofit organization, the USO’s mission is to strengthen America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. (U. S. Air Force photo by Beverly Joyner)  

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, UNITED STATES

03.08.2017

Story by Beverly A Joyner 

Joint Base Langley-Eustis

After more than 75 years, the United Service Organizations, Inc., better known as the USO, continues to serve U.S. service members by providing recreational activities and helping them maintain communication with family members while away from home.

Founded in 1941 as a nonprofit organization, the USO’s mission is to help strengthen U.S. military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation.

According to Kevin Hoffer, USO director of center operations at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia has 11 USO centers staffed by volunteers. Training is provided to familiarize the volunteers with each center’s daily operations.

“We partner with other organizations in the area to support our programs and services, but we can’t do it without volunteers,” said Hoffer. “Every day we see tangible results of what we do – we touch a lot of lives.”

For service members separated from their families because of temporary duty or deployments, the USO’s ‘United through Reading Program’ provides books and equipment, so that troops can visit a center to videotape themselves reading a book for their loved ones. The video and book is then mailed back to the service member’s families at no charge to the service member.

In addition to the reading program, the center at Langley Air Force Base houses a multipurpose activity room which features free snacks, coffee, books, cable television, video games, a pool table, computer access, Wi-Fi and printers. Free tickets are also available during specific times for special events held throughout the year.

At the Fort Eustis center, service members and their families can participate in free family movie and game nights, children’s holiday events, dances, cookouts and arts and crafts workshops. Light refreshments, computer access, Wi-Fi, printers, fax and work areas are also available.

According to Chereese Alexander, Ft. Eustis USO center director, volunteers are needed for four weekday shifts and two weekend shifts at the center. Volunteer orientation is held on Wednesdays and may take up to two hours.

“We have a continuous need for volunteers as we only have a few that are considered regulars,” said Alexander. “Throughout the month we have days where we have to close due to not having a volunteer.”

Prospective volunteers must be at least 18 years old and be able to access the respective installation where they would like to work. They can walk in or apply online using a new streamlined centralized system where their volunteer hours are tracked regardless of location.

For more information about USO programs, services and orientation times, visit volunteers.uso.org, or contact the Langley AFB USO at 337-4447 or the Ft. Eustis USO at 878-2415.

• Date Taken: 03.08.2017
• Date Posted: 03.08.2017 15:49
• Story ID: 226195
• Location: LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, US