Fishing, Food, Families and Fun During 'Operation Field Day'

A mild summer breeze and California sunshine highlighted the fun during "Operation Field Day" for participants in the military mentoring program held on Sunday at Lake O'Neill on Camp Pendleton.

The event was hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County and sponsored by the Camp Pendleton Officers' Wives' Club and the Pacific Marine Credit Union.

Held annually for volunteers, the event offers military children and their families activities such as fishing, paddle-boating, mini-golf, arts and crafts, face painting and board games.

Pacific Marine Credit Union chipped in to provide attendees with grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for the event. With so many activities offered, most in attendance were initially too busy having fun to notice the scent of charbroiled burgers lingering near the grilling stand.

The event also recognized the "Bigs," or mentor volunteers, for their contribution to the program. This year's Operation Bigs' "Big Brother of the Year" was awarded to 23-year-old Rusty Kelly, and the "Big Sister of the Year" honor was given to Diane Goebel, an almost five-year member of the Operation Bigs program.

Goebel currently mentors 11-year-old Tea, and boasts that they are "tetherball champions together." Tea's older sister also had Goebel as her "big sister."

The Operation Bigs program was developed to provide one-to-one friendship once a week after school for children of military families whose parents might be deployed.

"[The mentors] are there just to hang out with [the kids], provide support and make them feel better about themselves," said Bonnie Campbell, Operation Bigs program manager.

The program was started in 2004 by military spouses looking for a way to alleviate the stress of families when a spouse is deployed. Operation Bigs now offers mentors to each of the five elementary schools on the base. There are currently 140 children mentored by BBBS of SDC, as the numbers have grown from the original 45 "littles," or children in need of mentors.

Campbell said that military children are two-and-a-half-times more likely to suffer psychological damage than children who aren't in military families because of the stress during deployment.

She recalled her favorite story about what one child once told her about his big brother:

"'He taught me not to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders,'" Campbell said.

And for some children whose parents are deployed repeatedly, having a mentor can ease the transition just before and during their absence. Some of the children are so excited to see their mentors that they count the days leading up to their weekly meetings.

Campbell also shared a story about a mentor who gave her "little sister" several self-addressed envelopes to keep in touch each week during the summer when the program was not in session.

"She ended up getting all of the letters in one week," Campbell said.

Anyone over the age of 18 can volunteer for the BBBS. Anyone can join, be they civilian or active duty, young or old; the only other requirement is that a volunteer must be compassionate about helping children. Male volunteers are especially in demand.

BBBS is currently recruiting mentors for the coming school year and would like to call all caring individuals interested in helping military children by offering time as a volunteer. The only prerequisite is that they can dedicate themselves to an hour after school, each week, for a full school year.

"If you like to play, and have a heart for kids, it makes a big difference in their lives," Campbell said.

For more information on how to become a mentor, visit the BBBS of San Diego website.

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