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Day of caring: Squadron volunteers help out at Tinker Youth Center

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  • By 72nd Communications Squadron
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  In just six short hours on Oct. 12, 35 "Bulldogs" from the 72nd Communications Squadron completed a United Way Day of Caring mission by teaming with Tinker Youth Center staffers to revamp the entire look of the building's landscape architecture. 
   "I cannot begin to thank the 72nd CS team enough for Day of Caring," said Youth Center Director Michelle Robertson. "All of the projects were a huge success and have improved the Youth Center tremendously."
   Day of Caring is a United Way community service event where volunteers from corporate, federal and state entities donate time to projects for the various United Way Partner Agencies.
   "The goal is to raise awareness of community services," said United Way coordinator Kit Letcher. "Day of Caring shows donors the impact of their donations through these special projects in the Oklahoma City area.
   "I think the effort and dedication put into the projects by these volunteers is indicative of the generosity at Tinker.
   "Actually going to a partner agency shows the volunteers how and where their donations are being spent, and how important they are to the agencies."
   Ms. Robertson said the 72nd CS volunteers' efforts "will continually give long after the Day of Caring."
   The Butterfly Garden construction was overseen by 72nd CS Commander Lt. Col. Kyna McCall, who got down in the dirt with her troops.
   "This was a very important part of the project to the children," she said. "We hope they enjoy the garden and butterflies for years to come."
   Although small in space, the garden packs a punch with several scented plants and a mulch covering of coco bean shells.
   The Butterfly Garden was only one of many projects completed during the day.
   The games and toy closet, which serves hundreds of children, was a nightmare to locate items. Those closets, along with the athletic closet in the gymnasium, were completely reorganized where items could be easily located and retrieved.
   The bleachers sitting on the former flag-football field were disassembled, moved and reassembled on the children's playground just outside the youth center. Volunteers sewed pillows, several with University of Oklahoma Sooner themes provided by Ms. Robertson, an OU alumna.
   And volunteers rearranged the data files for the Youth Center customers, created labels and stuffed letters being sent to all parents.
   The bulk of the work also is the most visible outside the Youth Center as people drive by. The hundreds of monkey grass plants used as borders are gone, replaced by a two-high stone border around all of the flower beds on the west side of the building. Dead trees were removed and weeds pulled out.
   "It looks amazing," said Ms. Robertson. "I can't believe they accomplished so much in such little time."
   But it was the Butterfly Garden which commanded everyone's attention as the project neared completion late in the afternoon.
   "We have made arrangements to have butterflies released," Ms. Robertson said. "We hope they return to the garden year after year. "The children will learn about their anatomy, life cycles and reproduction. They will also be taught about the butterflies' senses, diet, defense mechanisms, flying and so much more."