Airmen volunteer at weekend festival

Brandon Hannel said Clovis reminds him of his hometown in Illinois and sees volunteering as a great way to connect with the community.

CMI staff photo: Benna Sayyed

Aley Diggs, left, a Clovis kindergarten student, gets her face painted by Airman 1st Class Tyler Reptar Saturday at the Saturday in the Park festival at Hillcrest Park. Reptar, 19, said he has been stationed at Cannon Air Force Base for six months. His hometown is San Antonio.

Hannel was among 30 Cannon Air Force Base personnel who volunteered last week at the Saturday in the Park festival at Hillcrest Park in Clovis.

"I try to volunteer every weekend," said Hannel, an airman first class and member of the 551st Special Operations Squadron who has been stationed at CAFB since January. "The community is nice and it accepts us. I like just knowing that I did something good and that I'm helping the community."

Saturday in the Park was a community service project put on by Clovis High School Project Lead students that offered family fun, including music, dance performances, games and painting.

The event was held to raise community awareness, to promote community spirit and raise awareness about community charities, according to CHS Gifted and Talented teacher Kendra Peloquin. Proceeds went toward area charities.

Live music by the CHS jazz band could be heard in the background. Marshall Middle School cheerleaders dressed in their cheer outfits, CAFB personnel, Clovis natives and newcomers to the area were among the hundreds of visitors at the park Saturday.

Visitors moved casually between tables representing various organizations and charities to participate in activities such as face painting, dog petting, Frisbee golf and writing letters to military troops deployed in war zones.

Hannel said he tries to volunteer in the community as often as possible. On Saturday he helped set up tables, helped set up the performance stage and worked at various tables.

Here's a look at what other volunteers did at the event:

Mercedes Warren, 21, airman first class and member of the 27th Special Operations Squadron

Warren has been stationed at CAFB a little more than a year. Her hometown is Tyler, Texas. She said she usually volunteers at events such as Saturday in the Park once a month. She said she likes to help people and seeing children dressed up and being active in the park made her happy.

"I get to walk away knowing that I did something productive. This (Hillcrest Park) is a really nice place to hang out. I think people should take advantage of it."

Nicholas Peloquin, 31, technical sergeant and member of the 551st Special Operations Squadron

Peloquin has been stationed at CAFB a little more three years. His hometown is Savannah, Ga. He oversaw 18 airman from the 551st Special Operations Squadron in setting up the event. He said Cannon personnel provided much of the manpower at the event.

"I'm looking forward to watching the performances from the different Clovis schools. Not just seeing the students at a sporting event but seeing many students from different schools at one venue is great. This gives me the opportunity to integrate myself into the community. I live in the community and we're part of it so this is a way to actually get together and enjoy a Saturday in the park."

Hailie Marinovich, 24, executive director and co-founder of Hope Defined Animal Rescue

Marinovich works as a contractor at CAFB. Her hometown is Des Moines, Iowa. She taught visitors about responsible pet ownership and guided them in petting dogs at her table.

She said meeting and mingling with visitors and learning about other organizations was her favorite part of the event.

"We're saving animals' lives. These animals would have been euthanized. Seeing these animals here today and knowing that you had a key part in them thriving — no amount of money can bring this kind of satisfaction."