CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
More than 95 Charleston Airmen participated in the Trident United Way's Day of Caring throughout various areas of the Lowcountry Monday.
Groups of Airmen from 12 different agencies on base took part in various volunteer projects ranging from providing office assistance, to performing maintenance on playgrounds to landscaping in Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston counties.
"It is important for the communities to see the military doing something good and beneficial for them," said Senior Airman Stacy Darracott, 437th Airlift Wing Day of Caring representative. "Also, it is good for the volunteers to see there are places and people in their own communities that need help too."
Trident United Way's Day of Caring is an annual, community-wide event in which more than 100 area companies give their employees the day off to volunteer at more than 100 nonprofit organizations.
In 2005, 4,500 volunteers tackled 250 projects in the tri-county area.
For this year's event, 13 volunteers from the 437th Comptroller Squadron helped the Coastal Center in Summerville improve their Memorial Gardens, said Staff Sgt. Marquetta Breslin, 437 CPTS.
The volunteers were responsible for power washing various areas of the gardens, helping to put down straw and trimming around the hedges, picking up trash, pulling weeds and placing stones underneath park benches to prevent them from sinking.
Though the group of volunteers were helping with the cleaning and maintaining of the garden for just one day, the effect of what they helped finish will be lasting.
"It is very important to give back to the community," Sergeant Breslin said. "There are people who are not able to do the things that we do on a daily basis. These are things that most people take for granted. Some things that may not mean a lot to you may mean the world to someone else."
While there was a good showing of Airmen during the Day of Caring, Sergeant Breslin recommends other agencies sign up for the next Day of Caring.
"I would definitely recommend other organizations from the base to volunteer, because it is a day to remember the events that occurred on September 11, 2001, and show you care by helping someone else."