Photo By Staff Sgt. Olufemi Owolabi | Capt. Jeffrey Fries, 376th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, hands over...... read more read more
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Airmen at the Transit Center at Manas showed their commitment to service in the Kyrgyz community when they volunteered to help refurbish parts of a local school in Vasilievka village, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 13.
The community involvement and school partnership project was to repair the school's clogged drainage system and to unblock their water systems.
The trip to Vasilievka Elementary School was organized by Capt. Jeffrey Fries, 376th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron.
Volunteers from the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron helped the school clear the drain, which they have been unable to use for several months.
"They [the school] had been asking us for help, but today, we are able to get the equipment and our 376th ECES experts out here to help," said Captain Fries, deployed from Scott Air Base, Ill. "They've [the school and its authority] been very appreciative of our assistance."
Fries said the purpose of the local partnership project is to lend a helping hand in rebuilding their school.
During the visit that took volunteers through uneven dirt and unpaved roads, the Airmen also donated soccer balls, stationery and desks brought from the Transit Center to the school.
"We are trying to lend our support to them in providing supplies," said Fries. "And by doing this, we are helping to improve their school."
In the past three months, volunteers from the Transit Center have also provided the school with paint supplies, dishes and even helped them paint some part of the school.
As a further sign of commitment to the partnership, the captain said there is a plan in place to purchase a water pump for the school.
"We try to provide them with the things [supplies and service] the Transit Center has provided them in the past," Fries said. "We'll just continue to do it with every rotation."
The ongoing Vasilievka School partnership with about 150 children, started about four years ago, and according to volunteers, it still continues.
One of the volunteers, who was deployed here in 2007, said the school has gone through several phases of remodeling with the help of Airmen's volunteer efforts.
"Coming back here two years after my last deployment, it makes me feel good that, as one can see, this school is being taken care of," said Tech. Sgt. Douglas Middendorf, 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron.
"Everything we donated was put into good use and appreciated. You can see that they still continue the painting."
In 2007, the team of volunteers from Manas painted the walls; repaired the floors and yards, and donated a sandbox for the children playground.
Middendorf, deployed from Fairchild AFB, Wash., said though he likes to volunteer at his home station too, he feels volunteering here is something special because of the way the school members show their appreciation for everything donated to them.
"The reason I came out to help support volunteer effort is to help others," the sergeant said. "It makes me feel so good ... when you leave that school, you feel better because you know you have helped out someone less fortunate than you."
According to him, all the volunteers who came out have, in one way or another, helped contributed to the children's learning, future and hopes of going to college.
"With all the ongoing partnership volunteer projects in Kyrgyzstan, it shows that we [Americans] care about the community too and not just here for our Transit Center mission alone," Fries said. "We are here to help the local community as well; to show them what the United States is about and what we bring to the community -- doing humanitarian assistance as well."
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2009 06:15 |
| Story ID: | 37565 |
| Location: | MANAS AIR BASE, KG |
| Web Views: | 181 |
| Downloads: | 167 |
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