NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. --
Airmen from the 30th Aerial Port Squadron here unloaded and then shipped nearly 6,000 lbs of softball equipment and educational supplies. The equipment, which was collected over the course of a year, was donated by several high schools in the Western New York area and shipped via 914th Airlift Wing C-130 to the Dominican Republic.
The donated items were transported by the U.S. Air Force through a program called Denton Cargo. This program enables private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space available on U.S. military aircraft to transport humanitarian supplies to countries in need.
Marlene Stone, Akron Varsity girls’ softball coach, organized the effort to donate the equipment, involving girls from Akron Varsity and Amherst Lightning softball teams. The process of organizing this effort brought to light the realization that girls in different parts of the world don’t have access to things that girls in the U.S. do.
“The girls use folded up cereal boxes as catching mitts while the boys have proper equipment to play with,” said Stone, “which isn’t fair.”
In the process of organizing transportation for the donations, Stone was referred to Mr. Jim O’Neill and Dr. William Maher, local coordinators for the Denton Cargo program. From there, Denton Cargo coordinated with Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. The equipment was unloaded, palletized, and loaded on a Niagara aircraft by 30 APS personnel.
The equipment and supplies were transported to the Dominican Republic Feb. 17. The softball equipment was distributed to leagues of female softball players, who would otherwise not have access to this kind of equipment.