Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. -- The Single Marine Program at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., hosted a volunteer appreciation dinner April 8, to show their gratitude for all the time the service members give to the local community.

Each year, during the month of April, the station celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Week. Partnering with station assets, the SMP offers events all week, like the dinner. Marines and sailors at Cherry Point will be honored with another dinner April 11.

“It’s really important to me that I recognize them officially during National Volunteer Appreciation Week,” said Jen Krivohlavy, the event coordinator with the SMP. “National Volunteer Appreciation Week is all week long. It is an annual event.”

During the dinner, Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hedelund, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing commanding general, and Sgt. Maj. Christopher Robinson, 2nd MAW sergeant major, thanked the Marines for their hard work and encouraged them to continue to strive for greatness.

“We benefit as a Corps from all the work you do,” said Hedelund.

While the Marines are thanked for their participation after each event, they cannot be thanked enough for the time that they constantly put in to help the community, said Krivohlavy.

Since 2011 the SMP’s number of volunteers and the amount of hours conducted have nearly tripled because of participation by the service members, according to Krivohlavy.

“We have a quarter of the volunteer hours for the entire Marine Corps,” said Krivohlavy.” For our Cherry Point volunteers to really be that active in the community it really says something about their character.”

Although the SMP is proud of its current numbers, Jen stresses that it not about how many people they can get to volunteer or the number of hours they can claim, but it is about the families that call explaining how grateful they are that the Marines and sailors have helped them.

“Some Marines and sailors go out to volunteer that say oh it was not a big deal I just did it for this reason or for that reason, but I want them to realize how big of a deal it is,” said Krivohlavy. “I wish I could really just show the Marines and sailors how much they have impacted our community, they are helping our community thrive.”