The Sarpy Chamber’s 2023-2024 Magazine & Member Guide gave a spotlight to each of the cities of Sarpy County. The conversation Ryan Hansen at the 55th Wing Public Affairs office at Offutt Air Force Base highlighted the upcoming initiative, Operation Holiday Cheer. Read more about his work and this meaningful project in the excerpt below:
As the head of the 55th Wing Public Affairs office at Offutt Air Force Base, Ryan Hansen is used to a work environment where all walks of life cross paths.
“There are over 10,000 people working here every day,” he said describing activity on the base, “and we’re proud to share all those different stories and make a connection to the community so people have a sense of pride in the missions that people from all over serve.”
The 55th Wing Public Affairs office serves as the vital bridge between Offutt Air Force Base and the surrounding community of Bellevue and Sarpy County, as well as the communication hub for those working and living on the base.
Sharing Offutt’s globally scaled mission is important to Ryan, but building local bonds between Offutt and Bellevue is just as rewarding. Operation Holiday Cheer is a special program that Ryan finds to be emblematic of that warm relationship between the base and the city. “It’s a tremendous program that has been going on for years,” he explained, “and it’s made possible by so many volunteers from the Bellevue community.” The objective of this seasonal operation is to fill around 500 gift bags that will be delivered to new service members in the dorms on the base. “They’re brand new, they’re away from home,” Ryan said, describing the need for the bags, “and what better way to say and to show that this community cares than to leave a gift at their door for the holidays?” Each year the base works with local chambers of commerce, businesses and non-profits to organize a day where gift bags are filled with donated items like treats, gift cards, baseball tickets and more.
This year the Sarpy Chamber is proud to be an official partner in Operation Holiday Cheer and looks forward to growing engagement with this special project across the entire county. “Offutt and its service members have instilled a sense of pride that is felt not only in Bellevue, but throughout all of Sarpy,” said Sarpy Chamber President Karen Gibler. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to give back to our service members and to build connections between them and our community.”
Contact us at chamber@sarpychamber.org to donate to Operation Holiday Cheer. You are welcome to drop off items for the 500 gift bags or make a financial donation which will be used to purchase items for the gift bags. Operation Holiday Cheer will commence on December 14th so reach out to us today!
Save these Dates:
December 07: Holiday Open House
Help us celebrate the season!
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