Volunteering leads to college credit Published Feb. 22, 2011 By Staff Sgt. James M. Hodgman 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- For many college students, paying for an education can be a daunting task. Having to pay for tuition, room, board and expensive books can cause many students to work several hours a week and many more may turn to student loans to finance their education. Thankfully at Offutt a program exists to aid family members of active-duty Air Force men and women. Through the Youth Employment Skills Program, high school students here can earn up to $1,000 for their post secondary education. How, you ask? Simply by volunteering in the Offutt community. For every hour of volunteer work, students earn $4 toward their education. Students can participate in the YES program each year of high school. The number of hours a student may earn is capped at 250, which amounts to a total of $1,000. Volunteers also earn $2 for every hour worked for their base's youth programs. In a year's time, these hard working individuals can earn up to $10,000. "The purpose of the YES program is to give high school-aged dependents of active-duty Air Force members the opportunity to play an active role in their local Air Force community by volunteering on base, (while learning) work skills and exploring professional interests," said Lori Quayle, the YES program coordinator for the Air Force Aid Society. The AFAS provides the financial support for the YES program. The charity has contributed more than $1.6 million to students and bases since the program began in 1996. Leah Turner, the daughter of retired Maj. Michael E. Turner, and a student at the University of Southern California, participated in the YES program during the summer of 2006. She earned $1,000 for her college education working at the 55th Wing Public Affairs office while she was a senior at Papillion-La Vista Senior High School. "I enjoyed working in the public affairs office because of my interest in journalism and public affairs," Ms. Turner said. By volunteering at a military public affairs office, Ms. Turner said she gained a wealth of knowledge that prepared her well for the future. "I gained a more intimate knowledge of how public affairs works, specifically military public affairs," she said. "Being a military dependent, seeing (how) the military interacts with the general public was of particular interest." "This also helped in my journalism classes in college because I felt better prepared to deal with the realities of the industry," she said. "Now I possess not only an academic understanding of journalism but also a realistic knowledge applicable in the job world." While she volunteered at Offutt's PA office, Ms. Turner assisted with day-to-day operations and performed many tasks from writing captions and taking photos to publicizing base events. Cheyenne C. Sill, a freshman at Bryan High School in Omaha and the daughter of Senior Master Sgt. Shawn M. Sill, 55th Aerospace Medicine Squadron superintendent, volunteers at the Youth Center here during the summer and has earned $200 to date for her college education. Cheyenne said she hopes to one day be an astronomer, chef or a veterinarian. Her father, Sergeant Sill, said he appreciates that a program like YES exists. "We found out about the program through the youth center and I thought it would be a great opportunity for (Cheyenne) to learn responsibility, have fun and earn money for college," Sergeant Sill said. Michele L. Tadlock, a child and family coordinator with the 55th Force Support Squadron has been involved with Offutt's YES program since 2007. She said only 44 students have participated in the program here over the past 10 years, a number she hopes increases in the future. "This program is a great opportunity for teens," Ms. Tadlock said. Students will be given the chance to (work) at a couple locations on base and earn money for college at the same time, she added. Across the Air Force, only 70 bases participate in the YES program. These bases currently have a total of 369 students registered in the program with five located at Offutt. For more information about Offutt's YES program or to sign up, call Youth Programs here at 294-1686.