OSC supports HAP House

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Andrea F. Liechti
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  The Officer's Spouses Club raised $3,000 at its annual Handicap are Producers House Auction, more commonly known as the HAP House Auction, Nov. 9th, at the base consolidated club.

The OSC accepted 42 donated baskets from OSC members, officers, squadrons and other individuals. The baskets were filled with tons of goodies ranging from gift certificates to cooking sets to movie night gift packages, and were auctioned off to raise funds.

"The auction was a lot of fun for the OSC and all of the attendees," said Katie Lund, OSC president. "It allowed us to come together and show off our creativity. The event also provided social time and allowed the officers and their spouses to give back."

The group raised $900 more than they did last year. The money will go toward sponsoring the OSC's annual HAP House Christmas Party scheduled for Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the HAP House at 244 Turner Ave. on base.

The HAP House is a non-profit organization that provides a social gathering place and working environment for mentally or physically handicapped adults. It allows them the opportunity to have a job and earn a paycheck. The house has been a part of Barksdale since 1976 and is one of the organizations the OSC continuously supports.

The annual Christmas party allows members of the club to thank the HAP House clients for all of their hard work, said Elizabeth Strong, OSC member. The event is one of the OSC's highlights of the year.

"One of our favorite parts of the event is when Santa arrives on a fire-truck and delivers gifts to all the HAP House clients," she said. "Seeing their smiles makes it all worth it."

Raising money for the HAP House was just one of the OSC-sponsored events held in November. The club also supported a food drive for Airmen living in the dorms.

With the temporary closure of the Red River Dining Facility due to renovation construction, the OSC wanted to ensure base dorm-dwellers had options for getting food on base.

"We are here to support our Airmen," Lund said. "We stocked the Airman's Attic with all sorts of non-perishable food items, keeping our Airmen from worrying about how they were going to eat."

Throughout the year, the OSC also donated a popcorn machine to the River's Edge and supplied the Airmen Against Drunk Driving program with free gas cards, Lund said.

"Most of our donations come straight from our members' pockets," she said. "We are constantly dreaming up ways to help out around base and are looking forward to seeing what this next year will bring."