Twitter
Facebook
With school back in full swing, school activities are sprouting up again. One activity at Ramstein High School is devoted to helping elementary school students deal with a deployed parent.
Living a military lifestyle can be tough at the best of times, but coping with a deployment is definitely a rocky journey — a journey best not taken alone. Enter “Deployment Buddies.”
Once a month, students from the high school volunteer to visit the elementary school and interact with the students. I am one of these volunteers. Now in my third year with the program, I have witnessed what a rewarding and fulfilling club it is to be a part of.
Frederick Lopez, the Deployment Buddies coordinator and guidance counselor at Ramstein High School, said he “fell in love with it and the kids.”
When asked what his favorite experience with Deployment Buddies has been so far, Lopez said, “The whole thing.”
The high school students are referred to as “bigs” and the elementary school students are “littles.” A very noticeable big brother/big sister bond is formed between these two age groups. Time is spent breaking up into small groups, sharing snacks, singing, making cards, drawing pictures, and getting paint and glue all over.
Lopez’s enthusiasm for the club is mirrored by the level of commitment of the students involved.
“I plan on being in the club until I graduate, as I believe it’s a worthwhile club to be in,” said Chase Lambert, a junior at Ramstein High School and member of Deployment Buddies.
The buzzing, lively elementary school cafeteria always emits a positive aura. It is impossible to focus on anything else other than the “littles” and the reason that we are there to support them.
Addyline Booth, a first-grader at Ramstein Elementary School whose father recently deployed to Afghanistan, clearly enjoys the whole experience.
“It’s really fun,” she said. And when asked what her favorite part of Deployment Buddies was, she said, “I already told you. I like everything.”
“I try my best to relate to the children and comfort them in their time of need,” Lambert said.
I couldn’t agree with his sentiments more. It is apparent that the “littles” appreciate us “bigs” coming to visit them, expressed through all the laughter and hugs shared.
“They get attached very quickly to the point of feeling bummed out and abandoned if their ‘big’ doesn’t show up,” Lopez said. “We all have a responsibility to them and to the club. For the past two to three years, nothing but mature, focused, dedicated students have been working alongside the ‘littles’ in need.”
Offering a helping hand truly helps to guide those struggling during challenging times.
If that means getting glue in my hair or paint on my shirt, then it will serve as a lingering reminder of time well spent.
