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337 RCS rolls up sleeves, helps beautify camp for seriously ill youth

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Celena Wilson
  • 337th Recruiting Squadron
SHAW AFB, S.C --  The 337th Recruiting Squadron works hard every day to find qualified applicants throughout North and South Carolina to become the next generation of the Air Force. Recently, however, a team of 337th RCS "Nighthawks" took time out of production to roll up their sleeves and help with several landscaping projects at the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., a camp for children with chronic or serious illnesses.

"While the children are at camp, they will experience a life-changing camping experience in a safe and medically sound environment," said Ryan Shell, Victory Junction Media and Marketing Division manager.

At the age of 19, Adam Petty was beginning to research what it would take to bring such a camp to North Carolina. Unfortunately that dream was cut short when he was killed during race practice May 12, 2000. A few years after his death, his parents, Kyle and Pattie Petty, carried out their son's dream with the building and opening of VJGC during the summer of 2004.

Since that time, there have been more than 4,500 campers visit the year-around camp; to keep the area safe for all of those campers, the work of volunteers keeps it all going. VJGC staff elicits the work of more than 2,000 volunteers a year, to both help with the campers directly and also work behind the scenes, repairing facilities and grooming the landscaping.

The germination for this project had it roots in squadron discussions on volunteer support. After discussing various volunteer opportunities, Tech. Sgt. Bill Schmid, B-Flight flight chief, brought up the idea of volunteering at the camp, as he is very familiar with the camp and its mission; since September 2006, Sergeant Schmid has volunteered more than 600 hours at the camp's stables.

"VJGC gave us the opportunity to work as a unit in one location," Sergeant Schmid said. "Since we are spread out as an organization, VJGC was located where a lot of squadron personnel would be able to attend."

Lt. Col. Thomas "T.C." Moore, 337th Recruiting Squadron commander, thought the opportunity presented was exactly what the squadron was looking for.

"I have been considering how to get the squadron involved in charity and community support events since I took command," the commander said. "At my last unit, the squadron was involved in numerous volunteer activities and I hoped to do similar things in this squadron, however, the 'tyranny of distance' limits our ability to get together as a group and complete such events. When I heard Sergeant Schmid talking about VJGC, I jumped at the opportunity and asked him to look into setting up a day in which we could all come up and help out in anyway possible."

As it turns out, a "landscaping mission" is what the 337th RCS took on as a volunteer project. At the beginning of the day, the team gathered to learn what their mission consisted of - planting sod, hauling and laying mulch, and finishing the camp's tree house project that was started last year. They also worked on setting up a new nursery and moving several hundred plants and bushes, which will be planted later over the 72-acre camp.

"We were told the camp only has four people who do the landscaping for the entire camp and that is quite an undertaking for them," said Master Sgt. Kim Stewart, 337th RCS financial manager. "With the large group, we were able to go in for a day and help them with a huge project they saved just for us. If we weren't there to help it would have taken them a week or so to complete by themselves.

"The real joy was when one of the VJGC landscapers was telling me how excited she was we were there," Sergeant Stewart said. "She said the landscaping crew was unable to complete the tree house last year; all the kids could do was look at it. Her eyes lit up when she said she could not wait until she could see the kids playing in the tree house, running and playing in the new sod we laid. That's when I smiled and said I was happy to be here to help."

After more than four hours of outdoor work, the 337th volunteers were invited to a camp lunch and a tour of the facilities.

At the end of the day, everyone was dirty, sweaty and tired, but they all had smiles on their faces knowing their work was not only appreciated by the VJGC staff, but will be enjoyed by the hundreds of campers who will flood the gate in just a few short weeks for the summer camp sessions.

"I have always been a big fan of NASCAR and the programs they have to give and support less-fortunate children, who are handicapped or living with a terminal illness. I felt that this would be the best opportunity to show my support for what they do," said Tech. Sgt. Tim Reed, enlisted accessions recruiter out of Charlotte, N.C. "Most of the work we were involved in was beautification, but what we did will better the overall atmosphere of the camp."

"Overall, we had a good quarter of the squadron out taking care of the community - that's awesome, especially given some of these troops had to make significant drives in order to participate ... I can't thank them enough," Colonel Moore said. "It is apparent the Petty's and the VJGC team are doing some extraordinary things for disabled and terminally ill children ... it was very uplifting.

"Again, the members of the 337th RCS who participated in this event have my highest thanks and praise for 'service before self' ... they are what makes the 337th RCS the No. 1 squadron in Air Force Recruiting Service."