{"id":14354,"date":"2022-04-20T08:22:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T08:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/?p=14354"},"modified":"2022-04-20T08:22:53","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T08:22:53","slug":"army-volunteer-hopes-to-create-positive-ripple-effect-across-community-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/?p=14354","title":{"rendered":"Army volunteer hopes to create positive ripple effect across community | Article"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Terry Owens, a former Soldier and spouse of a U.S. Army Japan civilian, volunteers to make popcorn for USARJ staff in honor of National Employee Appreciation Day at Camp Zama, Japan, March 4, 2022. Owens regularly volunteers in the local community and believes even the smallest selfless acts can help create a more positive environment.
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\n Terry Owens, right, a former Soldier and spouse of a U.S. Army Japan civilian, poses for a photo with Etsuko Kanai, center, who was honored at a luncheon in support of Women’s History Month at Camp Zama, Japan, March 22, 2022. Owens, who helped organize the luncheon, regularly volunteers in the local community and believes even the smallest selfless acts can help create a more positive environment.
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan — Whether it\u2019s teaching English, helping newcomers or baking hundreds of cookies to share, Terry Owens enjoys any opportunity to volunteer in the local community.<\/p>\n

Owens, a former Soldier and spouse of a U.S. Army Japan civilian, typically lends a hand to several efforts by the Army Community Service here.<\/p>\n

She regularly assists with the newcomer orientations, providing a friendly face and answering questions from people who may be overwhelmed after moving overseas.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamp Zama is such a small community and I think that we all kind of have to stand up and do our part,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like the true joy is [found] in giving.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of Volunteer Appreciation Week, observed this year April 17 through 23, the Army is currently highlighting those who selflessly take the time to make a difference in the lives of others.<\/p>\n

The Army often relies on volunteers to keep services and programs running smoothly. In fiscal 2020, for instance, volunteers contributed more than 109,000 hours for the Army, which were valued at about $3 million in cost savings, according to Army installation officials.<\/p>\n

The Camp Zama ACS normally has eight volunteers, including Owens, who assist with special projects, programming and events on an ongoing basis, said Jennifer Partridge, its director.<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteers are needed to support an array of community activities, particularly in an overseas environment,\u201d Partridge said.\u00a0\u201cCommunity-based organizations and activities that support the quality of life of our Soldiers, civilians and family members cannot function without the support of volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partridge said that Owens brings a \u201cwelcoming personality\u201d when she meets newly assigned personnel at the newcomer orientations.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has a vast knowledge of the community activities and has immersed [herself] in the Japanese culture and can provide insight on activities off post,\u201d Partridge said. \u201cAs a former military member herself, she can also relate to the experiences of the active-duty personnel who are stationed in an overseas environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partridge added that volunteerism is a win-win for both the volunteer and organization, since it can create a social connection and provide valuable experiences for those involved.<\/p>\n

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\n Terry Owens, a former Soldier and spouse of a U.S. Army Japan civilian, speaks during a luncheon that she helped organize in support of Women’s History Month at Camp Zama, Japan, March 22, 2022. Owens regularly volunteers in the local community and believes even the smallest selfless acts can help create a more positive environment.
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\n Terry Owens, left, a former Soldier and spouse of a U.S. Army Japan civilian, poses for a photo with Lucinda Ward and Rika Ueda, who all helped organize a luncheon in support of Women’s History Month at Camp Zama, Japan, March 22, 2022. Owens regularly volunteers in the local community and believes even the smallest selfless acts can help create a more positive environment.
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Being able to meet new people while giving back to the community motivates Owens to continue volunteering, she said.<\/p>\n

In March, she helped organize and provide remarks for a U.S. Army Japan luncheon to commemorate Women\u2019s History Month. She also made and handed out popcorn at the USARJ headquarters building for National Employee Appreciation Day.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, she began volunteering to teach English classes to Zama city government officials.<\/p>\n

During Thanksgiving, she even helped prepare a meal for single Soldiers. And for last year\u2019s National\u00a0Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, she baked 200 to 300 cookies that were then distributed to offices <\/strong>here for Operation Spread Good Cheer, which ACS organizes during holidays.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never made so many cookies in my life,\u201d Owens said, laughing. \u201cIt was nonstop [baking] for about a half a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Owens believes in treating people the way she would wish to be treated. That “Golden Rule” philosophy can be replicated when people volunteer or do something that benefits the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it creates a positive ripple effect, because you\u2019re ultimately doing something that you enjoy, and that happiness is shared,\u201d she said of volunteering. \u201cI think people kind of pick up on that [and] it creates a more positive environment all the way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

An act of kindness doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be a large, planned event. For instance, while walking near a local train station one day, Owens noticed some U.S. Army personnel new to Japan who were lost. So she decided to show them how to purchase a train ticket.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just little things like that, that I think kind of keep this community going,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you can be that positive influence in somebody\u2019s life, then hopefully they will pay it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Garrison Japan news<\/a><\/p>\n

USAG Japan official website<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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1 \/ 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Terry Owens, a former Soldier and spouse of a U.S. Army Japan civilian, volunteers to make popcorn for USARJ staff in honor of National Employee Appreciation Day at Camp Zama, Japan, March 4, 2022. Owens regularly volunteers in the local community and believes even the smallest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[45],"tags":[4920,7419,573,1129,395,214,1423,265,7418],"class_list":["post-14354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ripple","tag-army","tag-article","tag-community","tag-create","tag-effect","tag-hopes","tag-positive","tag-ripple","tag-volunteer"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/max1200.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14356,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14354\/revisions\/14356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/egrowonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}