Corry Station's Chiefs Mess and chief petty officer (CPO) selectees joined forces with Pensacola Habitat for Humanity for a landscaping project on three homes in south Santa Rosa County, Fla. Aug. 15.

Fifty-five volunteers from the Center for Information Dominance (CID) headquarters, CID Unit Corry Station, and Navy Information Operations Command Pensacola worked together to provide families with better yards around newly built homes. The work involved preparing lawns and laying down 60 pallets of sod.

The current and future chiefs offered their time as part of phase two of CPO 365, a year-round training initiative that Chiefs' Messes throughout the Navy take on to prepare 1st class petty officers to become chiefs. Phase two of CPO 365 begins when the chief petty officer selection board results are released, which occurred Aug. 5. The roughly six-week process is designed to foster teamwork and resilience, as well as hone leadership skills.

"It is always good to not only serve our country but also the local community," said Senior Chief Information Systems Technician (IDW/SW/AW) Demetrius Farrie, Information Systems Technician training manager for CID headquarters. "Every year we ensure our newly selected chief petty officers are focused on our heritage and giving back to their local community."

Stephen Foxworth, Habitat for Humanity crew leader, said he was very thankful for the support of the Sailors, community members and other organizations that assist Habitat for Humanity on projects.

"Without the volunteers, this wouldn't be possible," said Foxworth. "To provide the quality that we do for the homeowners, we wouldn't be able to do it without volunteers. When you get big organizations like this, we can do a lot with it, and it shows the people in the community that people are willing to come out and volunteer their time for a good cause. That's a big plus for the community."

The importance of that effort was not lost on the CPO selectees.

"Ultimately, the community support is a strong cause, making the lives of people in the local area a little bit better, especially for the ones who are a little less fortunate than everybody else," said Chief (select) Aviation Ordnanceman (IDW/AW/SW) Matthew Styx. "Not only has this been good for the community, but also for us to all come out here and work together - unify, learn about each other - has been a great experience."

For Chief (select) Information Systems Technician (IDW/SW) Grace Glover, the volunteer project was also a chance to connect with the local community, along with the advantage of getting to know her fellow CPO selectees and future colleagues in the Chiefs Mess.

"Spending time like this with the chiefs gives us the opportunity to go through a different type of training, while helping out everyone in the community," said Glover, as the CPO selectees entered their second week of CPO 365 phase two.

Founded in 1981, Pensacola Habitat for Humanity builds homes and improves communities in partnership with low-income families in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida.

The Center for Information Dominance (CID) based at Corry Station in Pensacola, Fla., is the Navy's learning center that leads, manages and delivers Navy and joint forces training in information operations, information warfare, information technology, cryptology and intelligence. With nearly 1,300 military, civilian and contracted staff members, CID provides training for approximately 24,000 members of the U.S. armed services and allied forces each year. CID oversees the development and administration of 226 courses at four commands, two detachments, and 10 learning sites throughout the United States and Japan.

For more information on the Center for Information Dominance, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ceninfodom/

For more news from Center for Information Dominance, visit www.navy.mil/.