MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Station residents visited Asai Orphanage Tuesday as part of the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 community relations program.
The program was designed as a way to reach out to the local community and strengthen Japanese-American relations.
A few members from the community relations team along with a sailor and a Marine from MALS-12 made the trip to the orphanage to teach the children how to count and say colors in English.
“Mainly, we do it to teach children English and improve our relations with the community,” said Julie Margolis, MALS-12 community relations program coordinator. “It’s an outreach program. We provide instruction in English and American culture, and the teachers reinforce the lessons in-between our visits.”
The group tries to visit three different orphanages once a month.
“We just try to visit and accommodate the needs of the orphanages,” said Erlinda K. Knight, MALS-12 community relations team member. “We’ve also been doing fundraisers to buy basic supplies for the children. We’ve collected clothes and accepted donations.”
The group likes to use a theme to teach lessons and share American culture. Tuesday’s visit was a short one – just over half an hour – but it accomplished a lot, said Margolis.
“The children are curious about American ways,” said Margolis. “We like to share our language and culture and the children learn a lot from it.”
Petty Officer First Class Alverez M. Hemphill, MAG-12 religious program specialist, has been visiting local orphanages for the past year. Visiting the children and watching them grow is something he is glad to be a part of, he said.
“They grow and learn so much every time we see them,” said Hemphill. “It’s nice to be able to help out. We try to do whatever we can.”
The community relations program started as an informal gathering of people looking to make a difference in the community. Now that they are participating in events such as the orphanage visit on a regular basis, the program’s coordinators plan to develop a schedule where Marines and sailors are encouraged to participate.
“When Julie (Margolis) and Larissa (Scott) stepped in, they really improved the organization of our visits, and we go to the schools knowing what we’re going to do,” said Knight. “We also like to get a lot of Marines to come out because the kids love the young Marines. They get really excited when they visit them.”
The group will continue to do what they can to improve relations in the community, said Knight. In order to have a solid schedule of visits, they hope to find a few dedicated Marines to help them out.
“We would like to get Marines to commit to one visit a month to the same orphanage, so the kids get to know the Marines and the Marines get to see the children learn and grow,” said Knight.
Programs such as MALS-12 community relations keep Japanese-American relations strong and couldn’t be kept alive without support from station residents, said Knight.
“I think it’s a very positive program,” said Knight. “It brings a positive light to us as ambassadors, and I hope the young Marines will continue to help out.”
Anyone can volunteer for the MALS-12 community relations program. For more information, call 253-3836.