Topic: Dozens Of Cadets Volunteer During Break

Colorado Springs Gazette
March 26, 2007
By Tom Roeder, The Gazette
Dozens of Air Force Academy cadets are eschewing raucous spring break activities this week in favor of helping the needy.
More than 60 are joining in a program sponsored by Habitat for Humanity to build homes for poor families in Texas and New Mexico. A smaller group is heading for a Navajo Nation reservation in New Mexico to help families fix existing dwellings.
“For me, it’s an opportunity to get out and help people directly,” said Cadet Eric Carfangno, who is helping on the reservation with about 10 other cadets.
Cadets at the academy have joined in charitable activities at spring break for several years, including work last year on the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast. This year’s work is aimed at getting people adequate housing, and cadets will be responsible for tasks from framing to dry-walling.
Capt. Kathleen Smits, who is leading the effort on the Navajo land, said her cadets are fired up about helping other people.
“These cadets are just service-oriented,” she said.
Academy cadets live in one of the most rigorous academic environments in the country and have far less time off than their civilian counterparts.
Yet the volunteer spirit runs deep.
Last year, the 4,000-member cadet wing spent 39,283 hours working on 2,196 community-service projects in Colorado Springs and around the country.
Carfangno said helping in the community helps him keep the tough life at the academy in perspective.
“It’s important to be able to refocus and get your priorities right,” he said.
Smits said the volunteer work exposes cadets to a life they may not understand and allows them to gain skills they’ll use later in their Air Force careers. “It makes a lasting impact,” she said.
AFA’s spring break runs through April 2.