JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Volunteers make up a large part of the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph fabric, donating their time to organizations across the board from the chapels and the library to spouses groups and the medical clinic.
"For all the hours they put in, Randolph volunteers save the Air Force about $900,000 annually," Daniel Hutson, JBSA-Randolph Military & Family Readiness Center community readiness consultant, said.
Whether they are helping active-duty members fill out tax returns or giving directions to newcomers at the medical clinic front desk, "they are a major benefit to this community, doing things that keep operations running day in and day out," Hutson said.
More than 50,000 volunteer hours were logged at JBSA-Randolph for 2013.
"Volunteers are becoming more and more important in the military world today with budget cuts," Ratisha Hill, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston M&FRC work life consultant, said. "While we cannot use our volunteers to do the work of a paid employee, we can use them to support the mission with volunteers loaning their skills in a variety of areas to meet mission goals."
For instance, "there is a large population of medically trained volunteers who provide their specialized skills in the hospital here at San Antonio Military Medical Center," she said.
Locally, one-stop shops where people can learn about available volunteering opportunities are the military & family readiness centers, where consultants discover "what your goals are so we can find the right fit," Hutson said.
A few benefits to volunteering include acquiring news skills or honing prior ones, networking with others and being able to list volunteer hours on resumes, he added.
Since National Volunteer Week is April 6-12, all three JBSA locations are planning events to distinguish noteworthy volunteers.
JBSA-Randolph's annual volunteer recognition ceremony starts at 2 p.m. April 11 at its M&FRC, building 693. JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and JBSA-Lackland's annual volunteer awards ceremony is scheduled at 1 p.m. April 22 at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston M&FRC, building 2797.
For more information, call 652-5321 for the JBSA-Randolph M&FRC, 221-2705 for the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston MFRC, and 671-3722 for the JBSA-Lackland M&FRC.