MMA Cadets Prepare Donation Boxes for Operation Christmas Child

Selfless service to each other, our families, school, communities and nation is one of MMA's guiding principles and core values. For community service this past November, MMA instructor Peggy Reynard's advisory group prepared boxes for the Operation Christmas Child charity. 

Operation Christmas Child is a project from Samaritan's Purse, a humanitarian aid organization. The project collects shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items. The boxes are then delivered to children in need around the world. After Christmas, the group will learn where the boxes were sent. 

The following cadets participated in the community service project:

• Cadet Patricio Bravo Knobloch
• Cadet Liam Mannion Perez
• Cadet Gihana Favour Nziza 
• Cadet Sebastian Rocha Alvarado
• Cadet Tiago Ruas Deluca
• Cadet Brandon Semeliss
• Cadet Khulsen Turmunkh

Each year, MMA cadets contribute roughly 8,000 hours of community service hours collectively. Community service provides cadets with a sense of direction and belonging; it promotes empowerment, self-worth and empathy; and it develops social, emotional and physical skills. Other community service efforts this year have included spending time with kids and veterans, working with food-share programs like the Central Missouri Food Bank and Buddy Pack Program, and more.