{"id":145090,"date":"2024-04-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=145090"},"modified":"2024-04-08T09:08:48","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T09:08:48","slug":"back-to-back-volunteer-events-on-camp-zama-demonstrate-communitys-selfless-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=145090","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-back volunteer events on Camp Zama demonstrate community\u2019s selfless spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Members of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force partners pick up trash near Gate 4 at Camp Zama, Japan, as part of a cleanup event April 3, 2024. The Soldiers also volunteered to host a friendly competition with local Japanese children following the cleanup.
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\n Sgt. Joshua McMath, right, a member of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, participates in a dodgeball game with children from the Sagamihara Minami Children\u2019s Home during an outreach event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024. McMath and other Soldiers also volunteered for a post cleanup the same day.
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\n Camp Zama community members and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force partners pick up trash along 4th Avenue as part of a cleanup event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024.
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\n Sgt. Shawn Rosario, center, a member of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, collects trash during a cleanup event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024. Rosario and other Soldiers also volunteered to host a friendly competition with local Japanese children following the cleanup.
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan \u2013 Several community members volunteered in two events here Wednesday to beautify the installation and host a friendly competition with local Japanese children.<\/p>\n

Members of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, along with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force partners and other volunteers, first picked up trash on roads from Camp Zama\u2019s Gate 4 to the main gate.<\/p>\n

Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, senior enlisted leader of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, said the cleanup was intended to help welcome the thousands of visitors who came for Saturday\u2019s Cherry Blossom Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur post is a pretty clean and well-kept-up place,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we\u2019re taking a little extra care to focus on the route that all of our off-post guests are going to take to get to the event area.\u201d<\/p>\n

While collecting trash, JGSDF Sgt. Tsukasa Kurihara said he enjoyed the chance to talk with the Soldiers as they walked along the route.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, this was the first time to work together with the U.S. Soldiers,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring this activity, I could communicate with them, so that was a really great experience for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurihara, a member of SoYou-kai, the JGSDF\u2019s noncommissioned officer association, also said the collaboration seen in the joint event could strengthen their partnership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis kind of activity is important to build a relationship for future bilateral activities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\n Community members participate in a dodgeball game with children from the Sagamihara Minami Children\u2019s Home during an outreach event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024.
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\n Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Rio, senior enlisted leader of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, welcomes children from the Sagamihara Minami Children\u2019s Home before community members play dodgeball with them during an outreach event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024.
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\n Community members participate in a dodgeball game with children from the Sagamihara Minami Children\u2019s Home during an outreach event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024.
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\n A child from the Sagamihara Minami Children\u2019s Home enjoys some American snacks after playing dodgeball with community members during an outreach event at Camp Zama, Japan, April 3, 2024.
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Following the cleanup, the BOSS members welcomed about 10 children from the Sagamihara Minami Children\u2019s Home to Camp Zama for the first time to play dodgeball at the Yano Fitness Center.<\/p>\n

The children were initially shy, but they quickly warmed up to the Soldiers after they made efforts to show their young guests a good time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore coming here, [the children] were nervous because they didn\u2019t know what to [expect],\u201d said Seki Hayato, an employee at the home. \u201cHowever, once they came in and played some dodgeball, they really enjoyed themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soldiers introduced the children, aged from 7 to 11 years old, to a friendly match of American-style dodgeball, followed by a session playing the Japanese version. The children were also given some American snacks.<\/p>\n

Judging by the looks on the children\u2019s faces and their giggles that echoed throughout the gym, Hayato said they would be eager to participate in another event if one were planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids had a really great time with the Soldiers and, personally, I also had a great time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rio, who also joined everyone for the games, saw the outreach event as a way for the Camp Zama community to continue being good neighbors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity for us to show that we are part of and care about the larger community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sgt. Joshua McMath, assigned to the 35th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, made sure to put a smile on the face of every child he met during the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m quite sure that by [us] being there and having fun with them, it just brightens up their day,\u201d he said. \u201cI really like it and that\u2019s why I do it every time that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

McMath said events like these that the BOSS program offers have broadened his mind on Japanese culture, and he encouraged other Soldiers to join him because of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you love helping other people or want to make somebody\u2019s day \u2014 or even your day \u2014 just come out and have fun,\u201d he said. \u201cYou never know who you\u2019re going to meet, and you never know if you\u2019re going to have a kid look up to you, and that can be your motivation to help out other kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Garrison Japan news<\/a><\/p>\n

USAG Japan official website<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Members of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force partners pick up trash near Gate 4 at Camp Zama, Japan, as part of a cleanup event April 3, 2024. The Soldiers also volunteered to host a friendly competition with local Japanese […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145092,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145090"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145101,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145090\/revisions\/145101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}