Ronald Reagan Strike Group Continues Community Service During Hong Kong Visit
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060615-10
Release Date: 6/15/2006 11:45:00 AM
By Illustrator/Draftsman 1st Class (SW/AW) Michael J. Obney, USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
USS RONALD REAGAN, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group continued their community service around the world by volunteering their time and efforts for nine separate projects during a port visit to Hong Kong, June 10–13.
Community service projects in Hong Kong benefited the Bayanihan Trust, the Joyful Foundation, Companion Animal Federation, Po Leung Kuk, Hong Chi Pinehill Village, Kely Support Group, St. Barnabas Society and Home, Ronald McDonald House, and the Hong Kong Society for the Blind. Each required a number of odd jobs, including painting, landscaping, building repairs, and mechanical repairs.
”It is not unusual for [community service] sites to require painting, but only four [community service] sites required painting,” said Cmdr. Brent Scott, the senior chaplain aboard Ronald Reagan and coordinator for the events.
At the Ronald McDonald House, there was a different sort of interaction and goodwill building taking place, but it didn’t involve children as one might think; it involved parents.
“I visited the Ronald McDonald House on Monday, and the question I was asked the most by the parents was ‘Why do the Sailors do this? Do they receive extra pay? Do they receive special recognition?’” said Scott.
“I explained to the parents that the Sailors are taught that their service in the [community service] projects serve as acts of goodwill and building bridges of friendship between nations. Above all, it is the personal satisfaction of serving others that drives the Sailors to volunteer for the projects,” he said.
Another example of selfless service by American Sailors was displayed at the Hong Kong Society of the Blind, where Sailors painted, cleared debris and made repairs to the ceiling.
“We had 15 people in our group, and we had a lot of work to accomplish. We were met by the staff at the Society, and we broke off into three groups,” said Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) (SW/SS) Cedric Rawlinson, who volunteered for the project. “The work that we accomplished included painting the cafeteria, re-plastering the ceiling of a bathroom, and clearing of shrubbery and overgrowth on a hillside.”
“For me, this provided a sense of personal satisfaction,” he continued. “I like being able to help other people.”
Behind the scenes of the community service projects, logistical challenges were successfully overcome with the help of Ronald Reagan’s Supply Department. Some of the supplies needed for the different projects included paint brushes, paint, box lunches, transportation and drinking water.
“Supply department has been a tremendous support of all the [community service projects] we wanted to undertake for this port visit,” said Scott.
“One of the limitations to a ship’s [community service project’s] success or failure is transportation. Chaplains tend to shrink the number of volunteers to decrease strain on the ship’s liberty transportation requirements. In every single port the ship has pulled into, the supply department has ensured there was independent transportation for the [community service projects],” added Scott.
Scott coordinated the projects with the ship support office (SSO) in Hong Kong under the direction of the Consulate General of the United States. The different projects were selected by the SSO based on specific criteria.
“The [community service projects] were selected based on the number of days the ship would be in port, the amount of work needed to be done at each site, and the time available for the completion of each project,” said Scott.
Planning for the nine projects in Hong Kong started in May, as Ronald Reagan Sailors showed up to a pep rally by the hundreds to sign up for the limited number of spots available for the projects.
“It was overwhelming to see all the Sailors filling up the forecastle and spilling out into the passageways, all wanting to volunteer their time,” said Scott. “We had over 200 Sailors sign up at the rally.”
“We started the sign-up rallies for the [community service projects] in Brisbane [Australia], and the response was so overwhelming, we continued with that approach,” said Scott. “For this sign-up rally, there were Sailors standing in line for more than 90 minutes. At the end of the sign-up rally, more than 200 Sailors volunteered their time and service to the local community. We also added the ‘Meals in the Home’ program. This program pairs local families with Sailors from the ship and brings them into their home for a home-cooked meal. This project had an additional 40 Sailors sign up.”
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group deployed from San Diego Jan. 4 on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the global war on terrorism and maritime security operations. A total of 34 community service projects have been completed by Sailors assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group since the beginning of the deployment.
For related news, visit the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn76/.
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