Willemstad:---On February 12th 35 people from the U.S. Forward Operating Location (USFOL) in Curacao went out into the community to share the perfect Valentine's Day gift for those in need. Two projects encompassing 230 volunteer hours and 2017 NAF worth of supplies and materials were going on simultaneously on this special day.The first location was in Fuik where a large group gathered to completely paint the roof of the Funashon Amigunan di Cristo (Fuik Community Center). This long-standing center offers a vital after-school tutoring program for many children in Fuik as well as AWANA club on Sundays. It was the talk of the neighborhood as many neighbors reported, "The Center now has a new roof." The owners Cesar and Emma Eman could not be happier. Emma Eman said, "My heart jumped for joy when I saw the bright blue roof from blocks away."
The second location was at the Jan Doret Ball field where a smaller group gathered to help Coach Charlton Cijntje to clean up the park, work on the pitcher's mound, and paint the bathroom house and snack bar as he prepared for an upcoming tournament. Also, USFOL staff provided a Bobcat backhoe to make light work of building another access bridge to the field. Coach Cijntje coaches a team in which more than 125 teenagers are involved from the surrounding community. Coach Cijntje also leads the national Curacao World Series Little League team every year to Williamsport, PA for the championship series. Coach Cijntje was pleased by the progress that was made and the assistance given by the USFOL to provide his team a suitable place to practice and play baseball.
