Program gives Airmen chance to be "home" for the holidays Published Dec. 10, 2010 By Senior Airman Elliott Sprehe 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Airmen away from home for the first time may sometimes wonder what there is to do in the local area or may be nervous about meeting people in the community. To help alleviate these feelings as well as foster a continued relationship with the local communities of Clovis and Portales, N.M., the Airman and Family Readiness Center has the Adopt-an-Air Commando program. "The program allows community partners and military personnel, as well as their families, the opportunity to share their commonalities, personal experiences and lives," said TaShara Duckett, with the A&FRC. By doing so, it helps Airmen learn from and integrate into the local communities. The program's objectives are to increase morale, strengthen local community connections and provide support to families and single Airmen assigned to Cannon, said Ms. Duckett. Though open to any servicemember, the voluntary program is geared to single Airmen. "There are no restrictions in place for who can be adopted, but it's not a dating service," said Ms. Duckett. "There are currently six families registered in the program and three matched with community partners." The program began after leaders from Cannon, Curry and Roosevelt County got together with the idea to find opportunities for the community and military personnel to connect and reenergize partnerships while building community and family resiliency. The goal is to match each Air Commando who is signed up at least once. If the match doesn't work, the A&FRC then tries to rematch the Airman with a different family as long as the Airman is still willing to participate in the program. There is also the chance that an Airman can be adopted by more than one family if there are more families signed up than there are Airmen. "Airmen are matched by identifying similarities as well as opportunities to assimilate and be more accepting of the community while broadening their definition of home, comfort and fun," said Ms. Duckett. "By doing so, it offers an outlet to see, interact and participate in activities that are enjoyable in an unfamiliar area or provide them with a home away from home." To participate in the program, Airmen must first register with the A&FRC, who then coordinates with the local chambers of commerce to match community partners and Airmen based on the information from the registration forms. The point of contact for any questions regarding the program is the Volunteer Resource Program Manger, TaShara Duckett, at 784-4228. She will answer questions or concerns for military personnel and their families and the Chamber of Commerce for community partner questions.