Airmen, kids send cards to deployed

  • Published
  • By Tyler Grimes
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Travis Airmen volunteered their time to help children from the Leaven, an after-school program, make Valentine's Day cards for deployed service members Feb. 7 in Suisun City.

The Leaven is a non-profit organization, which provides after-school tutoring to local children from kindergarten through fifth grade.

The event was part of the Leaven's Give Back program in which elementary school-aged children chose an annual project to help the community. This year they decided to support service members overseas during Valentine's Day, said Mike Tadlock, Leaven community outreach director.

"One of the main reasons that they are choosing to do it is that we instill the value that we are to give back to our community," Tadlock said.

Staff Sgt. Casey Dinger, 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operation supervisor, knows first hand the impact of receiving mail from home during a deployment.

"Having personally been deployed, I received a lot of care packages and it's very uplifting to know that people stateside are thinking about you and that you're not alone," Dinger said. "I just feel like giving back and helping the way I was helped."

For Staff Sgt. Leland Leger, 60th Medical Surgical Operations Squadron plastic surgery administrator, the event was an opportunity to work in the local community while representing the Air Force by being a friendly face in uniform. Leger says the items service members getting them are the main form of communication during a deployment.

"You don't have much out there and sometimes the only way to connect with the world is through letters and boxes," Leger said. "There's no feeling like getting a package that's for you."

The Airmen also participated in a short question-and answer-session by responding to questions submitted by about 20 kids who where there.

Also in attendance was City Councilman Mike Segala of Suisun City. Segala spoke about the benefits the children got by meeting and interacting with the Airmen.

"This is a great venue for the kids to be able to ask questions of our men and women in uniform and get an honest answer," Segala said.

Segala went on to mention how the event gave the youngsters a chance to see up-close that their dreams can come true.

The children come in contact and sit here with different officers and enlisted Airmen with different jobs and realize that 'I can do that too,' Segala said.

"Especially when they're making these cards right now, that is an accomplishment and they're going to a good cause," he said