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Security forces Airmen at Fairchild show their giving spirit

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Earlandez M. Young
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  During the past month, an Airman from the 92nd Security Forces Squadron has taken the initiative to help those in need around the holidays.

Airman 1st Class Christopher Armitage put together a donation program to help children who attend Liberty Park Child Development Center.

Liberty Park Child Development Center is an Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, which is a state funded, life enrichment program for low income families.
ECEAP provides a classroom experience for preschool -aged children to prepare them for kindergarten. There is no charge for the program, which is administered by Community Colleges of Spokane.

"I've been volunteering a lot since I've gotten to Fairchild, but wanted to affect change on a bigger scale," Armitage said. "Initially, I was going to gather donations for a battered women's shelter, but after researching, I saw they were getting a lot of attention and wanted to help people who weren't getting as much.

"So, I found the Liberty Park ECEAP program and saw that it was in a lower-income area and thought maybe they get neglected and could use clothes, food, toys and even everyday materials we may sometimes take for granted."

Armitage, with the help of other 92nd SFS members drove around base daily picking up unused and unwanted things. He received boxes of new clothing from the Airmen and Family Readiness Center and advice from the chaplian's office the legal office and his chain of command.

In a ten-day period, Armitage was able to gather nearly 250 pounds of donations.
On Dec. 12, Armitage and co-worker, Airman 1st Class Christopher Van-Dusen, went to the child development center to deliver the donations and spend the day with 35 preschoolers. Armitage and Van-Dusen's message to the children for the entire day was -- friends and sharing is a lot more valuable than the gifts they'd received.

When Christopher called me telling me about all of the cool things he had for us, I highly encouraged him to come visit Liberty Park," said Rona Lisa, family service coordinator who has been working in ECEAP for eight years.

"It's one thing when we give kids things, but for them to see these guys actually bringing me all these wonderful things it took their morale to an much higher level. They enjoyed the Airmen and Armitage and Van-Dusen looked as if they were having just as much fun."

The children drew pictures, played games, built castles, went to recess and ate snacks with Armitage and Van-Dusen.

"When they saw us walk into the room, their faces lit up, but you could see they didn't know what to expect," Van-Dusen said. "I felt their love and joy. These kids don't have much, but you would never be able to tell because of the enthusiasm and energy they bring."

The children said goodbye to the Airmen by paying them back with Christmas carols using both their voices and sign language.

"The children were very respectful," Armitage said. "They kept saying 'thank you.' But, honestly they didn't have to say it because it's better to give than receive. People shouldn't think to give only around the holidays. People should give every chance they get because some people aren't as fortunate as others."