Cheers to Volunteers Published April 23, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Amber Carter 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Airman and Family Readiness Center at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., is scheduled to host the Volunteer Excellence Awards at 1 p.m. April 27 at the Delta Breeze Club. In an all-volunteer military, service before self is a way of life. Many Airmen, past and present, and local civilians go one step further to give back to the base and the community by volunteering in their free time. The Air Force VEA was established to recognize federal civilians, family members, military retirees and federal retirees who perform outstanding volunteer community service of a sustained, direct and consequential nature. "We want to recognize all of our volunteers for the hard work and dedication to Travis," said Nakisha Rodriguez, 60th Force Support Squadron base volunteer coordinator. "The VEA recipients are awarded for significant acts of volunteerism and must have donated at least 100 hours of certified and recorded service in the last year." The event will include refreshments, cupcakes and guest speakers from the base and the local community. All volunteers, retired and civilian, are invited. "The success of many of our key services on the installation and around the community are driven by the hard work of volunteers," said Master Sgt. Joseph Bogdan, 60th FSS A&FRC superintendent. "These services include the Red Cross, the Travis Heritage Center, the Retirement Activities Office, Airmen Against Drunk Driving and Rebuilding Together Solano County, to name a few. These organizations and the services they provide would not be possible without a volunteer force."