JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- In celebration of the Month of the Military Child, the 15th Wing Public Affairs office and JBPHH Public Affairs office teamed up with Blue Star Families to provide more than 1,000 books to children of servicemembers during the Books on Bases event April 28.
The free event, which also offered attendees an opportunity to take pictures with a few of their favorite super heroes, also doubled as a food drive. Canned good items were collected to donate to local food banks.
“We accepted canned-good donations in exchange for an extra book during the event, which enabled us to donate nearly 400 pounds of food to the Hawaii Food Bank,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Stoltz, JBPHH Public Affairs photojournalist and event organizer.
As for the costumes? Why not!
“I figured if we were giving out books to children, why not dress like some of the characters they read about in the books we’re giving them,” he said.
Parents and children alike were delighted by the event.
“Thank you so much for the free book event today,” said Heather Blain. “My girls loved their new books and getting their picture taken with super heroes and villains.”
Although the event was an exciting way to celebrate military children, Stoltz said it also touched many members of the community.
“This event is beneficial to the base in a myriad of ways, but also to the surrounding community we live in,” said Stoltz. “By asking for canned good donations in return for books we were able to not only promote literacy and reading in our youth, but to provide a much-needed meal to local residents who might be struggling to put a meal on their table for their children.”
According to Stoltz, though the idea was to celebrate the wrap-up of the Month of the Military Child, it’s important to continue to honor military children even when it’s not April.
“There are plenty of events and volunteer opportunities that help others, but there aren’t many dedicated to military children,” he said. “Although we appreciate our families and our children, we often forget the struggle they can go through on a day-to-day basis—especially when their parent is TDY or deployed.”
Nicole Provance, a JBPHH parent and book drive attendee, said the event was an awesome way to celebrate military children.
“I think this was a wonderful idea … giving books to kids is always a bonus,” she said.
Stoltz said the idea for the book drive was born nearly two years ago after he found abandoned boxes of books in his office.
“I remember stumbling upon a few boxes of books when I first arrived here and always wondered why I never saw any events like this,” he said. “This year I reached out to Blue Star Families and asked if the books on bases program was still active and lucky for me, and the hundreds of children who received free books, it was. “I thought to myself; why don’t I hold an event. I think of it as just a small way to give back to the community that supports us—the community we fight for.”
Stoltz said the only downside to the effort put into bringing the event to life was not being able to give away more books to more children.
He said this event is significant because we are recognizing the conclusion to the Month of the Military Child, but it’s also personal to him.
“I want to thank everyone who volunteered in any way, but I would especially like to thank the children who came out,” he said. “As a former latch-key’ child, I understand what it’s like to be without a parent on occasion—to have to check for the boogeyman or patch cuts and scrapes yourself. I know the circumstances are not necessarily the same, but just remember you are strong, you are brave, you are always in your mom and dad’s thoughts, and most of all, you are loved.”