By Mark Marotta
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

About a dozen residents at Ann’s Choice have been volunteering their time through the local United Service Organization (USO) group to help those in military service and their families.

Dorothy Outland, who has been living at the Warminster community for four years, leads the Ann’s Choice group. Her daughter, Diane Kelly, is the operations manager of Liberty USO at the nearby Willow Grove Joint Reserve Base.

“We see the troops off. We welcome them home. We take care of their families,” Kelly says. “We’re not just Bob Hope anymore.”

Hard work
“When Diane lets us know that there’s a group coming in or going home, we get our group together, as many as we can, and we go over to the base and do whatever she needs us to do,” Outland says.

She says the volunteers have traveled to armories in northeastern Philadelphia, Norristown, and Kutztown. The frequency with which the volunteers are called into service varies, and sometimes it can be once a week, Outland says. According to Kelly, the volunteers may even be called in the middle of the night.

“You have to be flexible,” says Outland. “It usually involves four or five hours, at least,” says Tish Jones, who, along with her husband, is one of the volunteers.

“It’s hard work,” Outland says. “There’s always something for them to do.”

Jones says the volunteers provide snacks for family members waiting for a returning loved one. Often, there are also bags with candy, books, or toys for children waiting for a parent.

“We like to include the whole family,” Outland says.

Expressing thanks
“It’s rewarding, especially when the families are there waiting, and they’re always grateful for you. And the [troops] themselves always are very verbal with their thanks,” Jones says.