RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --
Airman 1st
Class Amaya Wollaston, 86th Communications Squadron cyber vulnerability
management technician, sat on the couch with her friend at Club 7 and talked as
they looked through a binder full of movies. After picking a flick they kicked
back, snacked and enjoyed a day much like the ones Wollaston used to spend
after school at her home in Phoenix, Arizona.
The 86th
Airlift Wing Chapel Airman Ministry Center’s Club 7 serves junior enlisted
service members of all branches, providing community and a home-away-from-home.
Wollaston’s spends
her days identifying vulnerabilities on computer networks and severs. Ramstein
is her first assignment and she said that, while some Airmen can get stuck in
their squadrons, Club 7 helped her branch out and make more friends.
“My favorite part
about Club 7 is the people,” Wollaston said. “Not only is Club 7 itself really
inviting, but the people are awesome,” Wollaston said. “They’re sweet and
really welcoming to everyone. There’s no drama there. It’s just chill.”
“We have four spiritual resiliency pillars at
the AMC. Spiritual formation, authentic community, leadership and development,
and service to others. We have four Airmen in council positions that are
specific to those pillars,” Natalie Luksan, AMC coordinator said.
The council of
junior enlisted Airmen operates Club 7 with the assistance of Chaplains and
Luksan.
Luksan said many
Airmen enjoy the home-style atmosphere at the Club 7 facilities on Ramstein Air
Base and Kapaun Air Station. She said Airmen relax on the couches and watch TV,
enjoy provided snacks, play on all three major game consoles in the game room,
and use Wi-Fi. The music room is stocked with guitars and instruments, and on
Kapaun the kitchen is stocked with cooking utensils.
“We’re all a big
family,” said Luksan . “We talk about that a lot. Our council and
volunteers provide such amazing ministry to Airmen here.”
Wollaston said
that it’s mainly the people that make Club 7 feel like home for her. Just like
her parent’s house, sometimes the rooms are full of people, noise and activity,
while other times they’re a quiet, good for studying or one-on-one
conversation.
“Visiting Club 7 is
a really nice, homey, and relaxing time for me,” Wollaston said.
Wollaston said
that she visits Club 7 a lot just to see what’s going on, talk, play games and
relax.
“I’m usually
always there on Fridays because they have free food and it’s definitely a break
from the dining facility,” Wollaston said.
Luksan said they usually
see between 50 and 60 Airmen on Friday nights, partially because they have the
option to choose from more than 1,000 movies and 100 games.
“We try to stay as
current as we can on whatever would help make this a place Airmen can enjoy,”
Luksan said.
The Ramstein Club
7 serves the Friday night meal at 6 p.m. These meals are free to Airmen and sponsored
by different groups around base, such as the Kaiserslautern Military Community Top
3 and the Catholic Women of the Chapel.
As Luksan
explained, everything the AMC and Club 7 offer goes back to building spiritual
resiliency.
Airmen who want to
get involved are welcome to come and help out, Luksan said. They always need a
volunteer at Club 7.
To find more
information on the AMC and Club 7, such as hours and upcoming events, join the
Facebook group called Club 7 Ramstein & Kapaun. There is also a new
Facebook page taking off that anyone can like and follow called Club 7 Airmen Ministry
Center.