CVC makes an impact, seeks leadership

Published April 18, 2013
By Senior Airman Tabitha N. Haynes
Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs

Joint Base Andrews, Md. -- One year since its birth, the Air Force District of Washington's Command Volunteer Coordinators are looking for leaders to excel the program through its second year of community outreach. The Command Volunteer Coordinators, commonly called CVC, give Airmen the opportunity to volunteer for events that interest them and make a difference.

"AFDW Airmen make a difference in the lives of others through service in our Air Force and service in our local communities," said AFDW Commander Maj. Gen. Sharon K. G. Dunbar. "Linking in with the CVC is a great way for Airmen to assist others while working in close partnership with our total force joint team here in the nation's capital."

U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Flight Commander Capt. Alexander Stanton volunteered to be the CVC coordinator when it was created a year ago to support local communities through community service. Now the inaugural CVC team is looking for a new OIC and Airmen to work closely with community service chairs from all service branches in D.C.

"As the officer in charge of the CVC program, I'm responsible for coordinating the Air Force's efforts in large-scale joint service projects, and planning and executing Air Force-led community service projects," said Stanton. "The types of projects we aim for can take anywhere from 50 to 500 volunteers."

CVC provided opportunities for 1,565 Airmen to volunteer in 2012, contributing a total of 17,550 service hours, according to Stanton.

"When I was in high school and college I did a lot of community service with Civil Air Patrol and ROTC," Stanton said. "I realized then the time I spent helping others gave me a great feeling, and I have continued serving my community as my military service has progressed."

In 2012, the community service hours contributed by AFDW's CVC volunteers totaled $344,600 in value, according to the Points of Light formula used by both Naval District Washington CVC and AFDW CVC to calculate the value of a volunteer.

Some of the details of the leadership jobs include: Site visits for events and projects, logistics and travel, coordinating volunteers, advertising events, safety concerns for venues, attending staff meetings and coordinating with the commands in the National Capital Region, networking and briefing the AFDW commander.

"As you can tell from the number of projects and the community impact we had last year alone, this is an incredibly rewarding job," said Stanton, who is leaving the AFDW family for another assignment. "I enjoy working with the volunteers to get the projects done and I'll be sad to leave the program."

However, the program must continue with new officer and enlisted leadership. For more information about an opportunity to become an AFDW CVC leader, contact the AFDW Public Affairs Community Outreach division at (240) 612-6464. To learn more about the program, visit www.facebook.com/AFDW.Volunteers.