Littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) Sailors participated in a community relations project Nov. 8-9 at the Genesis School for Special Education in Singapore.

Genesis provides full-time educational services to students with special needs such as language delays or disorders, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and developmental delay. Each day, 10 Sailors from the ship participated in the project by interacting with the children, helping with homework and practicing songs for an upcoming holiday recital.

"This was a great way to spend our time giving back to the community," said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Epps. "I was able to work with some of the kids that had language delay, and we got them talking and telling us colors. Even the teachers were impressed at how the kids interacted with us."

Community relations projects provide Sailors with the opportunity to interact with and learn from local citizens, while also providing a service to the community

Chief Petty Officer Jessica Nedzweckas, the project organizer, discussed the importance of giving back to the local community while learning from a new culture.

"I know the Sailors enjoyed their time helping out with the kids," said Nedzweckas. "This created a nice environment for the Singaporeans and the Sailors to work together and learn more about each other. We look forward to participating in more community relations projects in Singapore."

Coronado arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, Oct. 3, while on its maiden deployment to southeast Asia. The ship is the first Independence-variant LCS to deploy to 7th Fleet as part of an initiative to deploy multiple LCSs to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region in just a few years.

U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet, U.S. 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict.

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