Splashing around: Cannon hosts young visitors

27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

link U.S. Air Force photo: 2nd Lt. Angelica Powell

A child and 2nd Lt. Joseph Arora, Airfield Operations Systems officer, laugh and play in the pool after eating pizza.

link U.S. Air Force photo: 2nd Lt. Angelica Powell

Two dozen visitors from the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home came to splash around with the Company Grade Officers' Council of Cannon Air Force Base on June 29 at the DZ Pool. The children enjoyed a tummy full of pizza, hours of swimming and strawberry snow cones.

The Company Grade Officers' Council of Cannon Air Force Base is at it again!

Two dozen little visitors from the New Mexico Baptist Children's Home came to splash around with Cannon's CGOC at the DZ Pool, June 29.

The children enjoyed a tummy full of pizza, hours of swimming and strawberry snow cones. This was the second year that they came to visit with Air Commandos.

"Our job is to figure out how to build the feeling of community at Cannon," said Chaplain Joshua Payne, 27th Special Operations Group chaplain. "When we are actually part of the community, we are part of the solutions in our local area."

The New Mexico Baptist Children's Home has been operating for more than 100 years, and now serves 70-80 children annually. Founded in 1912, at the completion of the first cottage, 48 boys and girls had a new home.

"We really appreciate the base inviting us out here," said Tim Floyd, one of the visiting house parents. "These visits mean the world to us and our kids."

As the older kids gravitated to the diving board and deep waters, the young kids staked their claim on the big blue slide as volunteers waited for them below.

"I want to go again!" exclaimed one child after the next as they were righted in the water, climbed out, and rushed back to line up with the other beaming faces.

The mission of Cannon's CGOC is to develop a social and informative network on base that is focused on leadership and professional development, base support, community service and esprit de corps, while advocating CGO issues to senior leadership.

This past March, the CGOC hosted a sports clinic in which there were more than 40 adult volunteers from base and the surrounding community and 120 children were involved. Looking to the horizon, the CGOC is scheduled to host the travelling New Mexico Space Academy at Cannon for two days of science fun in August. That same week, they plan to partner with the Airman and Family Readiness Center to hold a basketball clinic for members of the Exceptional Family Member Program.

For more information about the CGOC or to register your child for the New Mexico Space Academy science camp, please contact Chaplain Payne at 575-784-2507 . If interested in becoming a sponsor with the New Mexico Baptist Children's Home, please contact Teresa Howard at 575-359-1254.