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Pope donates toys to local children’s center

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mindy Bloom
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  On the morning of Feb. 13, Airmen arrived at the Dorothy Spainhour Center, an affiliate of the Easter Seals United Cerebral Palsy of North Carolina, and began unloading more than 90 boxes of toys to the various classrooms. The boxes were marked with a "B" for boys or "G" for girls in blue magic marker.

The center works with special needs children. These needs range in areas from minor speech delays to more severe developmental challenges.

Tech. Sgt. John Mellish and Senior Airman Shameeka Monroe, 43rd Airlift Wing, got the idea to donate the boxes to the center after noticing them sitting in the basement of the wing headquarters building.

"I went downstairs and noticed all of these boxes sitting in one of our storage rooms," he said.

Some organization had donated the boxes to the base. These boxes contained items such as toiletries, school supplies, toys, stuffed animals, coloring books, etc.

Sergeant Mellish began checking into possible places that would be able to benefit from all of these items.. That is when the opportunity to give the boxes to the Dorothy Spainhour Center presented itself.

"I worked with the chapel and judge advocate general for places we could donate these items," Sergeant Mellish said. "We contacted the Falcons home who referred us to the Dorothy Spainhour Center.

The students looked excited as the Airmen helped the children, ranging in age from infants to pre-schoolers, open their boxes of toys.

"It's great to be able to get out in the community and show our military presence, and I had a good time with the children," said Senior Airman Marivic-Len Marin. "It's the little things in life that truly matter. It may seem like a small thing to do, giving these boxes away, but it makes a huge difference. It means a lot to show our faces to the kids and in return see their expressions of gratitude."

The Airmen who volunteered their time to deliver the packages to the center spent the morning reading and playing with the children.

"It's great for the children because it's something new for them," said Erica Little, director of the center. "We like to promote different experiences to the children because we all come from so many walks of life, and this to them is just another adventure for them. Also, the children love it, and they seem to respond really well to anything new."

She also mentioned the importance of establishing a rapport between the military and the children.

"I think anything to build the relationship with the military is a great idea," Ms. Little said. "This is a military town, and we have some kids here whose parents are in the military. It's great to be able to build that relationship together."

Sergeant Mellish thought it was equally important for the Air Force to be available to our community and cultivate that partnership.

"It's so much fun to interact with the children here," he said. "They are at that impressionable age, and this is one way to pass on our Air Force heritage. This visit is more than just passing out toys and books; this was an enjoyable opportunity to play with young children in our communiy who are very deserving. This is just one way to show we are here and we do care. The Air Force is here to serve the community, and we want to make sure people see we are here and want to serve our community's needs."