Misawa children roll-up their sleeves, pitch-in with volunteer efforts

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) --  Children from here, accompanied by 16 parents, were part of the first Misawa Helps program family mission April 12 to take place since the volunteer organization stood up in the days following the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami.

With spring break and children out of school this week, this was an opportune time to get the children involved in the recovery effort, said Capt. Tyler Harris, the Misawa Helps coordinator.

"We thought this would be a good time to get the kids out there," he said. "We wanted to find a good area that didn't have too many hazards and where they could have an area where they could make an impact very quickly."

That area turned out to be a small park situated in a new residential area in Hachinohe. At the park, children and their parents spent a little more than an hour picking up trash and other debris from a wooded area.

"Look at all we did in just an hour," Captain Harris said to the volunteers before leaving the work site. "If everybody on Misawa Air Base came out and just helped for one hour, think about all that we could do."

As the one who has been coordinating most of the volunteer efforts, Captain Harris made it a point to get his wife and three children out on this first family mission with him.

"I thought it was important for them to see what we are doing out here -- the whole Misawa Helps mission and why it's important," Captain Harris said. "I wanted to let them see there's a lot of need out in the community and let them feel like they are part of the rebuilding effort."

Many of the children on the volunteer mission have parents who have gone on previous Misawa Helps missions. Lindsey Drilling has helped clean up strawberry fields and pig farms with the group. Like others, she said she thought it was good to get the children involved. When the family mission was announced, she signed up herself along with her 8-year-old daughter, Anyka.

"We've collected donations, but this is something else," Ms. Drilling said. "I think it's really important for the kids psychologically to get out here and help rather than just sitting around not doing anything."

Another regular volunteer, Tracy Baker, has been showing her 8-year-old daughter, Pearl, photos from the various volunteer missions.

"She's been really jealous," Ms. Baker said. "She was so excited to come today she almost couldn't go to sleep last night."

A second family-friendly volunteer trip is planned, with the potential of more in the future.

To date, Misawa Helps has coordinated 43 volunteer missions and 1,725 volunteers have dedicated more than 19,700 hours to cleaning up communities in northern Japan.