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It only took about an hour for the group to work together and assemble the swing set. Even before the whole swing set was completed, the children were trying out the ones already done -- the swings and the four-passenger lawn swing. As the trapeze swing, wave slide and the two-passenger air-glider were completed, children were lining up to try them out. "The center requested us to clean up the yard area so the kids could have a place to play without having to be taken across the street," said Master Sgt. Ronald Petersen, assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and a Top Three board member. The Top Three members decided to take that request one step further. "The swing set was our idea to buy and install for them," Petersen said. "Seeing the kids' faces as we set up the swing set made me realize what we are doing to help the center is the right thing. Without our help, these children would never experience what so many people take for granted. Each time we leave the center, I know we have left it just a little better than before." To purchase the swing set, the Top Three solicited donations from its members and held two fundraisers. The first was a dunking booth at the Manas Air Base Fourth of July barbecue. The second was a push-up and sit-up competition. The money will help provide the children with the basic amenities of life -- clothes, food and shelter. The donations will also aid in providing physical therapy to those children in need. The center relies strictly on donations, and fills a great community need. "If this center did not exist, the kids would be placed in a government home," Petersen said. "The center tries to save as many of these kids as possible, but they can only do so much with the money they have." |
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