Friendship meets Community Service; part 1

I think that volunteering is very important and on many military installations there are a variety of organizations that you can help through. Recently I have had the opportunity to profile many of the programs on post including the Enlisted Spouses' Club and Officer's Spouses Club (which I am a member of).
In the Aug. 19 edition of the Guardian, I wrote a feature on the Enlisted Spouses' Club.
If you are looking for a place to meet new people and get out into the community, this might be the place for you.

-- Published Article (8.19.05 edition) --

“Where can I go to meet people, volunteer throughout the community, find information regarding the installation and express myself?”
This question may be one that many spouses have asked at one time or another, whether they have just arrived at Fort Polk or have been a resident for a while.
For the spouses of active duty and retired Soldiers, the Fort Polk Enlisted Spouses’ Club provides a place where spouses can find the answer to this question and more.
For Michelle Hunt, ESC vice president, the organization has given her a place to feel a part of something bigger, she said.
The group is currently seeking to recruit new members as PCS moves have left the club’s membership low.
Hunt came to Fort Polk when her husband was assigned to 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. She said when she married her husband in August, 2004, there was a lot of information that she needed but didn’t know where to go.
“My first week here, I went to newcomer’s orientation with my husband, and (members of) the Enlisted Spouses Club (welcomed) me and invited me to the next meeting,” Hunt said.
She said she was intrigued by what she had heard from them at the orientation and decided to go to the meeting.
”I went to the meeting and joined then and there. It just seemed real fun,” she added.
Hunt said once she joined the organization she realized its benefits, adding that other members helped her find information regarding post activities and military life in general.
“It goes so much further than the family readiness groups,” Hunt said, adding that being a member has helped her stay busy and keeps her from worrying about her husband’s upcoming deployment.
“This will be my first time (dealing with a) deployment and being involved keeps me going,” she said. She adds that the members of the organization provide support to each other because they share common concerns.
“It’s a home away from home,” she said.
Hunt added that the variety of activities gives members a chamce to “just have fun.”
She said activities such as the upcoming 2006 Santa’s Castle where the organization helps families during the holiday season offer members a chance to give back to the community.
Fellow member, Myra Revelle agreed.
Revelle has been an active member of Fort Polk’s ESC for 25 years.
“I really enjoy working with the elderly. When the nursing home (activity) came that was my thing,” she said, adding that she has been the nursing home chairperson for 23 years.
ESC members who volunteer in the nursing home program take cakes and cookies to the residents of Rosepine Retirement and Rehabilitation Center and Revelle said that over the years she has formed friendships with many of the residents there.
Revelle said she joined the ESC in order to meet people and get involved in activities, and that is what she did.
She added that since she has been a member, the organization has given money back to the community such as helping the battered women’s shelter and provides programs to the public that include community outreach, safety awareness and volunteers.
“I get a lot out of (membership). I get to do new things and meet new people,” Revelle said.
“As for those who say there is nothing to do here ... sure if you don’t get out there, you will not find anything to do.”
“(Spouses ) who join will have fun. Come see what we do. There are educational programs and trips,” she added.
Revelle said this past Christmas the ESC had enough money to bring the fourth graders from South Polk Elementary to the Rosepine Retirement and Rehabilitation Center to sing for the residents. She added that both the residents of the center, ESC volunteers and the children enjoyed the activity.
“New spouses bring new ideas for activities and fund-raisers. We don’t have to do the same things, we welcome any idea,” Revelle said.
Michelle Lantz, president of the ESC, said that the organization offers spouses the chance to be themselves and make new friends while taking an active role in the community.
She added that it is a place where rank does not matter and spouses interact based on common interests.
“It is open to any enlisted spouse, active duty or retired, from E1-E9,” she said. “The organization gives back to the local community and spouses participate in the activities they enjoy. Activites include social events, fund-raisers, the Angel Tree, where those in the community can sponsor a needy child at Fort Polk for Christmas and Santa’s Castle, where the ESC accepts monetary and gift donations year-round to provide gifts for needy children during the holiday season.
Lantz advises new spouses who may not understand military life to “get involved and get out of your house. Not only will you make new friendships but you also gain volunteer experience and job skills while learning from other spouses.”
Lantz said that Fort Polk’s ESC has been helping spouses for more than 30 years. Many members have come and gone, but the friendships have endured.
This is Lantz’s second time at Fort Polk. She was a member of the ESC both times. She added that before returning to Fort Polk, she was not at a location that offered an organization like the ESC and she missed the camaraderie.
“You see a lot of mentoring (in the organization),” Lantz said. “We are always looking for new members and new ideas.”
The ESC joined with the Officers’ Spouses’ Club Wednesday to host the annual Super Sign-up, where members from both organizations participated in a membership drive.
Lantz said the ESC welcomed 30 new members at the Super sign-up but added that those interested can sign up throughout the year.

-- End Article --

Come back to visit. This Friday I will have an article featuring the Officers' Spouses Club and further into September I will talk to the Red Cross organization here at Fort Polk about what volunteer opportunities they have.