Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., --
More than 90,000 volunteer
hours were completed by more than 5,000 volunteers from MCAS Cherry Point in
2015. An award ceremony was held to honor these volunteers at Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, N.C., April 12, 2016.
Senior leaders represented their
units, along with DOD employees and service family volunteers as they received
individual recognition for their volunteer efforts and the positive impact they
have on the air station and surrounding communities.
“It really is impressive, the
impact our volunteers have had,” said
Col. Chris Pappas III, the air station commanding officer. “We have what I
would call world-class programs here at Cherry Point. Our programs, like the
Navy Marine Corps Relief Society and the family readiness program, do great
things for our military and families. However, no matter how well resourced the
programs they are, they depend on those volunteers to maintain their programs.”
According to Pappas, although
the air station is not among the largest installations in the Corps, it is
among the top contributors of volunteer hours. A fact that was recently
recognized by Headquarters Marine Corps when they awarded the MCAS Cherry Point
Single Marine Program for having the highest number of volunteer hours among
all Marine Corps installations for 2015. It had 29,746 volunteer hours for the
year.
Volunteering is a way to give
back to not only the local community, but also to the Marines and Sailors of Cherry
Point, he added.
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