Misawa children roll-up their sleeves, pitch-in with volunteer efforts

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Shortly after 9 a.m. on April 12, 30 children climbed aboard a bus on Misawa Air Base. Being as it was spring break, the children were not headed to school. Instead, they were headed to Hachinohe to clean up an area devastated by the March 11 eastern Japan earthquake and resulting tsunami.

The children, accompanied by 16 parents, were part of the first Misawa Helps program family mission to take place since the volunteer organization stood up in the days following the earthquake.

With spring break and children out of school this week, this was an opportune time to get the children involved in the recovery effort, said Capt. Tyler Harris, Misawa Helps coordinator.

"We thought this would be a good time to get the kids out there," he said. "We wanted to find a good area that didn't have too many hazards and where they could have an area where they could make an impact very quickly."

That area turned out to be a small park situated in a new residential area in Hachinohe. The park is just down the road from several strawberry farms where a number of Misawa Helps volunteer missions have worked to clear the fields. At the park, children and their parents spent a little more than an hour picking up trash and other debris from a wooded area.

"Look at all we did in just an hour," Captain Harris said to the volunteers before leaving the work site. "If everybody on Misawa Air Base came out and just helped for one hour, think about all that we could do."

As the one who has been coordinating most of the volunteer efforts, Captain Harris made it a point to get his wife and three children out on this first family mission with him.

"I thought it was important for them to see what we are doing out here -- the whole Misawa Helps mission and why it's important," said Captain Harris. "I wanted to let them see there's a lot of need out in the community and let them feel like they are part of the rebuilding effort."

Many of the children on the volunteer mission have parents who have gone on previous Misawa Helps missions. Lindsey Drilling has helped clean up strawberry fields and pig farms with the group. Like others, she said she thought it was good to get the children involved. When the family mission was announced, she signed herself up along with her 8-year-old daughter, Anyka.

"We've collected donations, but this is something else," said Ms. Drilling. "I think it's really important for the kids psychologically to get out here and help rather than just sitting around not doing anything."

Another regular volunteer, Tracy Baker, has been showing her 8-year-old daughter, Pearl, photos from the various volunteer missions.

"She's been really jealous," Ms. Baker said. "She was so excited to come today she almost couldn't go to sleep last night."

After an hour spent picking up various pieces of trash, Pearl was finally able to say she "did it" too.

Having "done it" will be a memory people will have for a long-time to come. When Misawa residents eventually return to the United States, they will no doubt be asked about the earthquake and tsunami and what they did to help.

"They'll be able to say, 'Yeah, I was out there and I helped them get it cleaned up,'" Captain Harris said.

A second family-friendly volunteer trip is planned, with the potential of more in the future.

To date, Misawa Helps has coordinated 43 volunteer missions and 1,725 unique volunteers have dedicated more than 19,700 man-hours to cleaning-up communities in Northern Japan.

For more information on Misawa Helps, visit Facebook.