Whether stationed in remote Minot Air Force Base, N.D., or at bustling Keesler AFB, Miss., more Airman around the world are learning the advantages of the Air Force arts and crafts program. From photography to fixing a car, Airmen can turn to arts and crafts to help build a better quality of life for themselves and their families.

It takes more than a remote location to get people to use an arts and crafts facility, said Greg Trapuzzano, chief of the Air Force Arts, Crafts, Tickets and Travel Branch.

“It definitely can’t hurt to have a captive audience, but the program itself has to be good,” Mr. Trapuzzano said. “Not only do you have to offer classes and crafts that people want, you also have to have good employees and customers to make it work.”

Minot AFB’s facility director, Shannon Dmytryszyn, attributes much of Minot’s success to their excellent rapport with the squadrons and the community. The arts and crafts program at Minot provides services to more than 10,000 military members and their families.

“We get a lot of business and support from the different squadrons,” Ms. Dmytryszyn said. “Whenever there is a going away or promotion party, they come to us for their plaques and customized engravings.”

Ms. Dmytryszyn and her staff also make it their personal mission to ensure military personnel, their families and civilian workers know what is going on at the arts and crafts center.

“We are all military spouses here, so we get out into the community and let everyone know what we have to offer including scrap booking, ceramics, and painting,” Ms. Dmytryszyn said. “We work with our marketing department, too, but word of mouth is best -- so our happy customers also play a big role in getting the word out.”

Even the sunny days and sandy beaches at Keesler AFB can’t keep people out of the arts and crafts center. Keesler, home to the 81st Training Wing, is located in Biloxi, Miss., where residents enjoy easy access to the Gulf Coast and an abundance of golf courses.

Having a well-trained staff that truly enjoys teaching and sharing with customers is what makes their program so successful, said Virginia Cooley, facility director at the Keesler arts and crafts center.

“My staff provides customer service that goes above and beyond -- not for the recognition -- but for pride in their work and in the interest of the shop users,” Ms. Cooley said.

Each of the arts and crafts centers strives to provide customers with a diversified program with something suitable for everyone. They all believe providing military members and their families with activities outside work and school is an important part of their base mission.

“Quality of life and time away from work are essential,” Ms. Dmytryszyn said. “Our customers lead stressful lives and if we are able to get them engaged in an activity, even for an hour and make them forget everything around them, then we have done our job.”

At Keesler AFB, Ms. Cooley and her staff work hard to provide children with an opportunity to explore their creative side. In addition to the year-round classes that are offered, they also host a youth spring break camp, a Christmas gift camp day and an innovative eight week summer craft program.

This year, 86 children ages 8 and older participated in the summer craft program. The children visited the arts and crafts center for several hours three times a week.

“Each week the students learned how to use a new medium of art,” said program assistant, Teresa Lis. “The kids usually completed two projects a day and made their own lunch at the center.”

At the end of the eight weeks, participants and their families were invited to a jamboree to exhibit their hard work. During the jamboree, participants also had the opportunity to enter the Air Force Youth Artists, Craftsman and Photography contest.

Mr. Trapuzzano said programs such as the Air Force Artists, Craftsman and Photography contest and the Air Force Gallery help encourage more participation among Air Force members and their families.

“The ultimate goal of the arts and crafts program is to enrich the lives of Air Force families by providing the best possible resources, training and support,” Mr. Trapuzzano said. “Having contests is a way for us to recognize the talent, skill progression and hard work of our customers.”