The USO Center at Norfolk Naval Base

I spent my first full week volunteering at the USO center on the Norfolk Navy base. I have been looking forward to spending time at the USO ever since Matt deployed and was able to benefit from the USO that is set up on the Air Force base they deploy from. I have a very big heart for helping families, and now that I know some of what it is like to deal with the strains of a military lifestyle, I especially have a heart for military families.

The USO is an organization that provides support to every branch of the military, and has centers on military bases and military air terminals throughout the world. They provide support by offering a home-like environment in their centers complete with comfy furniture, tv's and lots of food, and also provide any other support the military members and their families may need. They also sponsor entertainment and music concerts for military members overseas.

I am in charge of the United Through Reading program at our center, and it is the most amazing program to help parents connect with their children even when they are deployed. The program provides military members who are deployed or are deploying with the opportunity to record a dvd of themselves reading a book to their children, or saying whatever they want to say. We actually have a room set up that is private and away from everyone else where they can pick a book and say anything they want to their children and family back at home. Families get the dvd and the book in the mail, and can watch it as many times as they want.



This is an amazing program, and it touches my heart every time someone comes in and is so excited to have the opportunity to stay connected with their kids and families. I set everything up for them, and then leave the room as quickly as possible. I actually leave the area as quick as I can because if I hear people start to talk to their kids I immediately just start crying! It just means the world to me that people are so concerned with staying connected to their kids and families, and it breaks my heart at the same time to think about what it is like for families with children to deal with deployments. I know that for many spouses and other family members, these videos mean more to them than they do to the children. There is something very comforting in being able to see your loved one there on the screen and hear there voice...especially when they are away for so long.



I feel so lucky to be able to share my time with everyone at our USO center, and feel especially blessed to have gotten to know Ann Morris, the director of the center. She has an amazing heart and has dedicated her life to serving the military in every way she can. She is an inspiration to me, and I know that I will learn a lot from her and her amazing life as a military mom.

Volunteering my time at the USO really makes me feel close to Matt, and I figure it is the best way I can help him from thousands of miles away, and give back to all of our military families who are all making sacrifices that the rest of the world can't even comprehend in order to protect our country, and our freedom!

Thursday at the USO was filled with lots of smiles and tears. The regional director for United Through Reading came in to see the progress with our reading room, and I was able to sit down with her and Ann and hear a little bit about their personal stories. We all ended up in tears as both women described their experiences with the USO while they were relocating, and dealing with deployments. Through the tears they described the USO as a word that meant safety and home to their children, and a place that offered them hope when they were struggling. It touched my heart to know that the USO truly makes a difference in people's lives, and that I can somehow contribute to their mission to provide above and beyond what anyone in the military could possibly need...until they all come home.

I know that God has provided me with the opportunity to share my time with the USO and everyone who comes into our center, and that even before I was born He made me with a heart that will always have enough love to spread to those in need, and cry out for those who are in need. I will cherish my time at the USO with Ann and all of our wonderful military men and women, and just ask that God let me continue to serve in this way when I have to go back to San Diego in a few months.

I wanted to leave everyone with the USO website and the link to donate...no matter what your views are about the military, they still need your help, and are sacrificing their lives to protect you and your family.

USO

Donate to the USO