Reception honors Offutt's volunteers

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James M. Hodgman
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Today is their day to shine. They committed themselves to helping others and April 29 the community recognized them. Everyone in attendance cheered for them, thanking them for their selfless service. Offutt's volunteers accepted something they never asked for; a "thank you." 

The 55th Wing and the Offutt Volunteer Advisory Council hosted a volunteer appreciation reception at the Community Activity Center to thank all volunteers for their contributions over the past year. 

Linda J. Madison, a community readiness technician with the Airman and Family Readiness Center said it's important to recognize volunteers. 

The impact volunteers have is overwhelming and they are a critical part of the world, she said. "Without volunteers things like Special Olympics, blood drives, chapel activities and youth programs wouldn't be possible." 

Col. John N.T. Shanahan, 55th Wing commander said he is proud of the dedication Offutt's volunteers have shown. 

"Our mission calls for deployments, long hours and family separations, which makes volunteering so much harder to do." But Offutt's volunteers found the time to help others and that is remarkable, the Colonel said. 

The commander thanked all the volunteers in attendance and stressed how important Offutt's volunteers are. 

"We spend so much of our lives worrying about ourselves and volunteers focus their time worrying about others," he said "volunteers help others and never ask to be paid for their contributions, they give selflessly and it's important for us to recognize that and say thank you." 

During the reception several volunteers were honored. George Parkerson, a retired navy commander received the Retiree Activities Office Volunteer of the year Award. In 2008 Mr. Parkerson contributed more than 200 hours to the RAO advising fellow retirees about their rights and benefits. For the 2008 Offutt Retiree Appreciation Day, he helped mail 22,000 invitation letters to retirees and surviving spouses in the states of Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. 

Jane Sanger, a retired nurse, received a standing ovation when she accepted the Volunteer Excellence Award for her contribution of 377 hours with the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic. At the clinic, Mrs. Sanger volunteers as a cardio pulmonary resuscitation and first aid instructor and assists with blood drives. She also checks in patients and escorts customers to various offices throughout the clinic. 

Since 1979, Mrs. Sanger has volunteered more than 10,000 hours and said she enjoys every minute of volunteer service. 

"I like helping other people," she said "volunteering gives me something to do and something to look forward to." 

Mrs. Sanger has been helping others in need for 30 years. Along with volunteering at the EBC, she also teaches bridge at Metropolitan Community College and volunteers at the Offutt thrift shop on Saturdays. 

Two organizations were also honored at the reception for their contributions to military families; Project Linus, and Operation Voices and Love. 

Operation Voices and Love is a non-profit organization, created by the Fangmeyer family in 2006. The organization seeks to connect deployed military members with their families by using teddy bears and technology. Their goal is to provide the "littlest troops" with a teddy bear containing a recorded message of a deployed parent. In 2008, the organization provided 200 bears for Offutt families and hundreds more to military families from Nebraska to Texas. 

The idea for OVAL came from Hunter and Carter Fangmeyer. While their father was deployed the family put together a bear with a recorded message from him so they could stay connected with him during his year-long deployment. That connection is something the boys said they wanted to share with every military child; with that OVAL was born. 

"Being an Air Force wife for 23 years I've seen how deployments affected my family," Diane A. Fangmeyer said. Having the ability to reach out to other military children and help them through the deployment process means so much. 

Mrs. Fangmeyer also thanked the public for the support they've provided to OVAL during the past year. 

"Without the support of the public we couldn't do what we do. We rely on donations from schools, businesses and elsewhere," she said. "We're also looking for a corporate sponsor so we can take our program to the national level." 

For more information about OVAL, visit their web site at www.operationvoicesandlove.com. 

Project Linus, an organization that provides deployed military members and ill or traumatized children with the gift of a handmade blanket or afghan, was also recognized at the ceremony. Over the past five years the organization has donated 350 blankets to Offutt children and 21,700 blankets to children in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area. 

Jinny L. DeBates, Project Linus coordinator, said she loves what her organization does.
 
"We've contributed blankets to hospitals, foster care centers and to children of deployed family members," she said. "Being able to provide a sense of security to children who've been through traumatic situations is truly a wonderful thing." 

Many of the children who receive PL blankets are victims of abuse and are removed from their homes, Mrs. DeBates said. "I remember one year we were notified of a 13-year-old girl who had to be taken from her home," Mrs. DeBates recalled. "When the police finished their investigation we gave her a blanket and she told us that she never had a blanket before." 

Helping children in those situations makes it all worthwhile, Mrs. Fangmeyer said. 

For more information about Project Linus, visit their web site at www.omahaprojectlinus.org. Offutt members interested in volunteering on base or within their community can obtain the latest volunteer listings by calling the AFRC at 294-4329.