USO Fort Stewart supports Marne Soldiers and Families, needs Volunteers
The United Service Organizations (USO) at Fort Stewart is a non-profit organization, funded by generous donors that supports and connects service members and families. USO Fort Stewart provides a home-away-from-home for Soldiers, Families and retirees seeking positive and productive connections.
“The USO is here to support Soldiers and Families throughout their entire military career, at no cost to them, with the intention of making them a little bit happier,” said Courtney Due, Senior Operations and Program Manager, USO Fort Stewart.
USO Fort Stewart provides Single Soldiers computer use, leisure, social events, and a home-away-from-home. Designed to feel homey and welcoming, the USO holds events such as Tasty Tuesdays, were Soldiers are asked about meals they ate growing up and the staff and volunteers then prepare these meals for the Soldiers. The goal is to give them the ability to feel at home.
All of that thoughtfulness and quality programing requires a dedicated pool of volunteers to keep the center and its programs functioning. Due to the pandemic, the USO’s volunteer force decreased drastically, and the USO is actively looking to rebuild its team of Soldier and Family member volunteers.
“We only have a permanent staff of two individuals, so volunteers are the backbone of the USO. Our current hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2p.m. on Saturdays. We can only continue to adhere to these hours if there are volunteers to support the center, Due said.
This extensive availability might not seem important to some, Due explained, but to the Soldier who spends their weekends in their rooms by themselves, the USO provides a welcoming, non-isolated space.
“Volunteering with any on-post organization can be a fulfilling way to contribute to the community and support your Soldier at the same time. The USO has a lot of diversity in the volunteering opportunities they offer,” said Mrs. Megan Costanza, the senior spouse of 3rd ID and spouse of Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of 3rd ID, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield.
“They could use support in easy ways, like helping to keep the center staffed, along with more professional and resume-building roles, like social media management or event coordination and coverage. They also do a great job of providing programing for everything from onboarding and networking for spouses, to events for kids. It’s focused on our Soldiers, but they provide so much more than that,” Costanza said.
She added she was also amazed at the quantity of young Soldiers the USO helps on a daily basis with and how many groups of Soldiers used the facility for mentoring their teams and working together on tasks.
In addition to working to support hours at the center, volunteers are needed to plan programs, create care packages, work with kids, help provide content for the center’s social media sites, and help run the front desk. They also need assistance with organizing the center, filling shelves, and cleaning the areas.
USO volunteers must be a minimum of 15 years of age; under 18 requires a parent or guardian presence, with exception of groups such as Boy or Girl Scouts, who may volunteer with a group chaperone. For those 18 years old or older, they need a valid ID and must register at https://volunteers.uso.org. They can then schedule a time to conduct shadow training with a staff member and start working.
Volunteering at the USO not only benefits the Soldiers and Families, but the volunteers themselves. Although volunteers are always supervised when working at the center, they can train to become a team leader and work unsupervised, gain more responsibility, and eventually manage people.
Aside from the ability to support their battle buddies, hours volunteered at the USO can translate to promotion points and other potential service awards when recorded in the Army’s Volunteer Management Information System (VMIS).
Due said the USO is also capable of writing Letters of Recommendation for jobs and promotions, which could benefit anyone trying to get into college or an employee needing community service time for their company/organization.
The USO provides great networking activities for spouses transitioning onto the installation as well. Coffee Connection is a monthly event to connect spouses who have been on the installation for a while with newly arrived spouses. Bonding over coffee with a senior spouse, those new to the installation can acquire information on schools, housing, restaurants, and a general overview of life on and around the installation. Even topics as simple as where to walk a dog or the best park for sporting events are discussed in a welcoming environment.
USO Fort Stewart collaborates with MWR to provide events for kids and along with hosting some of their own, the monthly kid’s craft events are interactive opportunities for young kids to connect and learn to be creative.
“The center has a fun atmosphere and I did not realize how much the USO supports the installation and its units until I volunteered,” said Mrs. Arayan Randall, a volunteer at the USO Fort Stewart.
Randall became interested in helping when the USO supported the deployment events of her spouse’s unit, and their rear detachment’s events.
“It doesn’t seem like work and it is a great way to get out and give back to the Soldiers. Without volunteers the center cannot run,” Randall said.
The USO’s goal is and will always be to support Soldiers and their Families.
“We want to continue to provide connections and a space for all to relax, be heard, and assisted, if needed. With more volunteers to support us, the center can have longer hours, more events and programs capable of reaching outside the installation, and more opportunities to continue to provide and further the lasting and incredibly valuable impact the USO has on Fort Stewart,” Due said.
Fort Stewart’s USO is located on 1639 Gulick Ave. Building 703, Fort Stewart, GA 31314. Individuals interested in volunteering should call 912-332-5488 or email cdue@uso.org for more information.