916th Air Refueling Wing sergeant radiates holiday spirit

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brandon Rizzo
  • 916th Air Refueling Wing
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Some little children, who may have otherwise had nothing to open on Christmas morning, received some very special home-made gifts this year from someone they have never even met.

When they donned their warm, fancy little crocheted ponchos and sweaters that cold December morning, hopefully they noticed the tag in them that read, "Made especially for you by Sande Lee." Hopefully those garments will be just as warm as Sande Lee's heart.

"I want them to have something warm to wear," said Master Sgt. Sande Lee Gerritsen, a logistics plans helper with the 916th Logistics Readiness Squadron here. "But it's a gift too, so this way they have something else to open on Christmas."

Months before the Christmas holiday season arrives, the hooking and looping of the crochet needle begins at Sergeant Gerritsen's home - her hands working diligently on each piece of clothing as if it were for her own child.

Her color schemes are stylish and attractive - a black design with pink square borders on a white background for one poncho, and purple and white for another. The ponchos and sweaters sport a whole array of other colors too, and the craftsmanship is clearly professional quality.

"It takes about two weeks per poncho and three to four days per sweater," said Sergeant Gerritsen.

This year, Sergeant Gerritsen donated eight colorful ponchos and three sweaters to Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency, Inc.

"WAGES is a local non-profit Community Action Agency which plans, develops, and administers human service programs designed to meet the needs of the community," according their website, www.wagesnc.org.

Sergeant Gerritsen has been donating her home-made garments to WAGES for the past four years.

"I think it would be really neat to see somebody wearing one of them one day," said Sergeant Gerritsen. "I'd never say anything to them of course, but it would just warm my heart to know that somebody was getting some use out of something I made."

Sergeant Gerritsen's sweaters aren't the only thing that can make a difference to people, however. This former Marine's warm smile and upbeat personality are extremely contagious.

"When you wake up in the morning, you have two choices," said Sergeant Gerritsen. "It can be a good day or a bad day. I choose to have a good day."

Today is no different for her.

"I'm finer than a frog's hair and twice as bushy!" said Sergeant Gerritsen.

When she walks through the 916th Air Refueling Wing headquarters building, she takes the time to stop and talk to everyone she knows, sometimes even showing them pictures of her grandchildren.

When combined with her smile and positive aura, her bright, blonde hair seems to radiate. She is seemingly just a touch excited all of the time.

"Sande is the type of person that you would love to work with," said Donna J. Lea, the public affairs assistant for the 916th ARW. "The first time I met her, she came to the PA office to tell me about a gentleman she knew from the senior citizen center she visited. You could just see the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about this gentleman or anyone else at the center. She cares about people and is willing to go out of her way to help, if she can."

Not only does she go out of her way to make and donate her own items, Sergeant Gerritsen also collects donations from around her squadron every year for "Operation Christmas Child."

She asks everyone for one-dollar donations and takes the collection to the dollar store to buy toys and hygiene items. She then takes her Christmas sack of "goodies" and drops them off at her church in Carteret County. The toys are disbursed to children around the world as part of the nation-wide operation.

"We have some very generous folks with big hearts in my squadron," said Sergeant Gerritsen. "I could not make this event a success without them giving all they have for someone else. We are a small squadron with a big heart."

Between her notable spirit of generosity and her jovial personality, it is almost as if Sergeant Gerritsen is the 916th ARW's very own jolly ol' Saint Nick - in battle dress uniform.