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More than 40 Soldiers and family members from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Special Troops Battalion gathered at the Ramstein Air Base bowling ally to celebrate the beginning of the new school year with pizza and bowling Aug. 24.
“It’s a wonderful event because we have an opportunity to have all of our little ones come together, some of them have never met each other before, and now they have a chance to meet each other, make new friends and get ready for the new school year,” said Lt. Col. Caprissa Brown-Slade, 21st STB commander.
The purpose of the event was not only to give children a chance to blowoff some steam prior to the new school year, but also to provide them with some much needed school supplies that can be difficult to come by at times.
“We wanted to do something to give back,” Brown-Slade said. “We wanted to do something to donate to the cause and ensure our kids have some supplies to go back to school with.”
Weeks prior to the event, the 21st TSC’s family readiness support assistant C. Christina Lewis and other volunteers gathered various school supplies such as paper, notebooks, pens and pencils through donations to be given to school-aged children at the event.
“There are some families that may be a little strapped, and they need the extra help and school supplies never go out of season,” Lewis said. “You can buy your children school supplies at the beginning of the year, and they may need something in the middle of the year. This way they’ll have more than what they need.”
Through the donations, the STB was able to collect enough supplies to fill 35 bags that were handed out to children. They were also able to collect enough supplies to fill a box and a half that will be held by Lewis and given to newcomers and their families as they arrive to the 21st TSC throughout the year.
For the STB command team, the event meant more than just allowing kids to bowl a few frames and have a couple slices of pizza. It was an opportuniy to build bonds and show family members the support available to them within their military community.
“We have a new theme called ‘strengthening the bond,’ or STB, and this is where it starts,” Brown-Slade said. “It’s about building the community up and making sure our family members see these folks here and understand that we do have a family readiness group available to help link them to the community.
“We need our families to know that we are together and we will support each other,” Lewis continued. “There are times when our Soldiers have to go away and leave the rest of their family at home, and we have to be able to support each other during those times.”
The FRSA relies heavily on the volunteer work of others. Without the work of volunteers, events such as the bowl-a-thon would not be possible.
“Volunteers are our backbone,” Lewis said. “Our volunteers do way more than what I ask them to do, and I am so very appreciative of what they do for us.”
For more information or to volunteer with the 21st TSC’s FRSA, visit http://www.eur.army.mil/21tsc/family.asp.
