Kay Snow sorts through donated items at RAF Lakenheath's Thrift Shop, one place where she volunteers her time. Snow recently earned Lakenheath's Angel Award for her countless volunteer hours. (Sean Kimmons / Stars and Stripes)
UK weekly edition, Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Kay Snow likes to stay active in her local community. So she decided to volunteer in several organizations and clubs, helping people in a variety of ways.
Whether it was attending meetings, giving briefings, offering religious direction, sorting through donated items or holding school fundraisers, Snow — wife of Senior Master Sgt. John Snow of the 48th Communications Squadron — has dumped more than a flurry of volunteer hours into her community over the past year.
All of this ultimately led to her earning the Angel Award, which was presented to her by the 48th Fighter Wing commander’s wife, Dee Steel, during RAF Lakenheath’s annual volunteer banquet last month. Snow, who has been a regular in the Enlisted and Civilian Spouses Club, plans to look for other volunteer openings in the Washington, D.C., area, where her family is scheduled to move later this month.
Do you see yourself as a person who is always willing to lend a hand? I think so. Prior to getting involved with volunteer opportunities, I was a biology teacher at Lakenheath High School. I then decided that it was time to take a break. I think from a teacher’s standpoint, you can have an appreciation for people who come in and volunteer their time. I saw a lot of that in the high school, and it made an impression on me.
Is it a full-time job being a part of organizations and clubs? It can be. It’s hard to estimate. I’d say I spend 10 to 12 hours a week volunteering but probably more than that. It’s really hard to put an amount of time on it because there are things that you don’t even think about.
What will you miss most about Lakenheath and volunteering? I think definitely the friendships and the interaction with people that I’ve met here.
What would you say to potential volunteers? Just ask around. See what kind of opportunities are out there. The Airman and Family Readiness Center has a wealth of information on what kind of organizations there are on base.
Becoming involved over the last couple of years has opened my eyes to how much opportunity there is for spouses to volunteer here on base. There’s so many spouses that have difficulty getting jobs, because, oftentimes, whatever job they’re qualified for they are already filled up by local nationals or they don’t have the qualifications for certain jobs.
The nice thing about volunteering is you can put your volunteer hours on your resume, and many organizations will look at that later on down the line and see your experience.
