JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas —
A dedicated group of individuals who gave more than 68,000 hours of their time last year to help Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph organizations will be thanked April 12.
The Military & Family Readiness Center, located at 555 F St. West, hosts the annual JBSA-Randolph Volunteer Appreciation Event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 12. Hunt Housing and the JBSA-Randolph Chapel are providing free lunch.
“Our volunteers are so valuable to our military community and providing a free lunch is the least we can do to show our appreciation for all of their hard work,” said Brandy Wright, JBSA-Randolph M&FRC community readiness consultant.
Volunteers or anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can dine in during the event or take their lunch to go. Small giveaways will be provided as tokens of appreciation to volunteers.
More than 700 volunteers serve organizations such as the JBSA-Randolph Chapel, spouses’ clubs, thrift shop, 359th Medical Group, library, Retiree Activities Office, Health Promotions, Youth Programs and the M&FRC, Wright said. Last year, volunteers served a total of 68,692 hours. Valued at $24.96 an hour, their service was worth $1,696,017.
“If you take a trip throughout JBSA-Randolph, you will find volunteers at the clinic handing out medications; at the thrift shop helping organize and sell items that will generate profits to be used for scholarships; at the chapel teaching a Sunday school class, cooking meals or watching children for the MOMS group; at the youth center coaching a youth baseball team; or at the M&FRC helping a newly relocated family by allowing them to borrow items from our loan locker,” she said. “These are just a few examples of what our volunteers do on a daily basis.”
Each organization has different eligibility requirements for volunteers, Wright said, but important criteria are a "giving heart” and “a willingness to serve.
“Volunteers are individuals who are selfless and love to give back to their community,” she said. “Volunteers give up their valuable time and serve multiple roles in multiple locations to provide services that improve the quality of life for our military members and their families. The support we receive from our volunteers is priceless.”