Staff Sgt. Jennifer White, with the 100th Services Squadron, helps her 1-year-old daughter, Victoria, plant flowers as part of Earth Week festivities at RAF Mildenhall's Child Development Center last week. (Sean Kimmons / S&S)
Staff Sgt. Jennifer White, with the 100th Services Squadron, helps her 1-year-old daughter, Victoria, plant flowers as part of Earth Week festivities at RAF Mildenhall's Child Development Center last week. (Sean Kimmons / S&S)
Students look on as Ryler Sturm, a member of the Lakenheath Intermediate School student council, shovels dirt to help plant a British Bird Cherry tree last week in support of Earth Week at RAF Lakenheath. (Erika Brooke / Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force)
One-year-old Andre Sullivan admires the flower seedlings he just planted as part of Earth Week festivities at RAF Mildenhall's Child Development Center last week. (Sean Kimmons / S&S)
Nora Vanasse, 4, buries some seeds in a garden outside of her classroom at RAF Mildenhall's Child Development Center as part of Earth Week festivities last week. (Sean Kimmons / S&S)
RAF MILDENHALL
It was 2-year-old Tyler Finefrock’s first time in a garden, and he was clearly excited as he got his hands dirty for Earth Day at the Child Development Center here.
“I planted flowers today,” he said later with a big grin while propped up in his mother’s arms.
Gardening with Tyler was 4-year-old Corionna Hudson. Her mother, Staff Sgt. Latoya Hudson, and other parents were there as well to assist the young planters.
“When [the center] told us about it, I was more than happy to help,” said Hudson, who works with the 48th Operations Support Squadron. “I think it’s a really good experience for her. It lets her see how to give back to Earth.”
They weren’t the only ones giving back to Mother Nature last week.
Teams of volunteers at RAFs Mildenhall and Lakenheath participated in more than 20 events — from cleanups, plantings and educational tours to a recycling competition for the week surrounding Earth Day, or Earth Week.
First launched by the United States in 1970, Earth Day is an annual celebration of environmental awareness that has evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect our global environment.
In the spirit of the day, about 100 childen planted roughly 300 flowers and vegetable seedlings along the grounds of Mildenhall’s Child Development Center.
“This is probably the largest organized [Earth Day event] we’ve ever had,” said Dawn Tiger, the center’s training and curriculum specialist. “Not only is it good for them to get outside, but working with plants lets them learn how to take care of other things.”
