Local leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout Orange County were looking for a volunteer opportunity to join with other LDS congregations on Saturday, April 27 for the “5th annual state-wide Mormon Helping Hands Day of Service at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base.
The JFTB offered a perfect opportunity to provide help and last year the volunteers did clean-up duty, working alongside others from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Abandoned housing units used by the military, FBI and various law enforcement agencies for training in house-to-house combat posed a risk for training as they have fallen into disrepair. With limited funds, cleanup of the units had fallen to a handful of weekend National Guard Reservists.
Teams of volunteers were led by a National Guard reservist who assisted them with their assigned area. The reservist assisted them with their assigned area and cleanup included painting projects, clearing an abandoned office building and removing debris from around the housing areas and one of the airfields.
“This is a service project and it makes me feel good to do something for someone else,” said JFTB Deputy Commander Col. William Mayhue. He welcomed the volunteers and awarded “Joint Forces Certificates of Appreciation” to Duff Whitaker, William Wynder, and Kristine Wood for their efforts in coordinating this event and for previous service opportunities. Emily Morell received a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the more than 170 volunteers. By the end of the day, 800 volunteer hours were donated.
Visit www.mhhcalifornia.org for more information about MHH.
Residents interested in organizing an opportunity to help around the base can contact Community Liaison Kris Wood at KristineWood@aol.com.