Camp Zama youth makes positive impact through volunteerism

CAMP ZAMA, Japan - People get 8,760 hours in a year. Maribel Sikes, 16, spent more than a thousand of hers in the last 12 months giving back to her community and was fittingly named one of the military's top youths.

Maribel made it as a finalist in 2024's Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year Award, an honor the titular nonprofit organization bestows annually to recognize outstanding young people ages 13 to 18. The winners receive their award every April during the Month of the Military Child.

Maribel has many hobbies, among them hiking, biking, reading and doing art, but she is most passionate about volunteering. That passion, she said, came from growing up around the military and seeing the example her mother and active-duty father set in their service to others.

"That inspired me to serve, myself," she said.

Since her family has been at Camp Zama, Maribel has given her time at the library, the American Red Cross, the chapel, Army Community Service and the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, where her father is assigned.

"I've gotten to help form a close-knit community here," she said. "Making a direct impact in other people's lives is something that I care about a lot."

Of all the volunteering she does, Maribel's favorite is running the "Story Time" program for preschoolers at both the Camp Zama and Sagamihara Family Housing Area libraries. The reason, she said, is because she loves teaching children the joy of reading and seeing their smiling faces when she reads to them.

Not only do the preschoolers make new friends, but the parents get to know each other, which leads to "a ripple effect of positive influences," Maribel said. In fact, it was the parent of a Story Time participant who nominated Maribel for the Military Child of the Year Award.

Maribel is also the founder and president of the Camp Zama Youth Red Cross Club, a group of teens who volunteer with and devise service projects for the organization. Last summer, the group organized an event to warn against the dangers of heat that drew more than 50 participants. They also created collected more than 200 items and put them in care packages to send to deployed service members.

I love serving, especially serving others," she said.

Being a child in a military family often comes with unique challenges: moving often, having to adjust to a new place or even foreign country, and making friends. But those challenges have made her more resilient and adaptable, allowing her to focus on her volunteering efforts, Maribel said.

"Preparing for the award also gave me the opportunity to reflect on the positive aspects of my life as a military youth," she said.

The Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year Award recognizes youth from all the military branches and the National Guard. The finalists are evaluated on their volunteerism, leadership and extracurricular involvement.

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