Twelve Sailors assigned to aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) participated in a community relations (COMREL) event with the ForKids organization in Chesapeake, Virginia, Sept. 23.

Organized by the command's Women at Sea program, service members assisted the facility with landscaping maintenance and picking up litter and debris.

ForKids was founded more than 20 years ago by concerned citizens in an effort to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing families with shelter in Norfolk and Suffolk. The organization works with approximately 175 families in the Hampton Roads area to provide housing, education and support services for families experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness.

"We work with all types of families to provide everything from holiday dinners to tutoring services," said Tammy Long, the ForKids facility coordinator. "As a nonprofit organization, we rely on volunteers to do work around the facilities. I know when a Navy volunteer group is coming to help us I can count on them to get the job done efficiently and effectively."

The ForKids COMREL was just one of many opportunities Women at Sea provides for Lincoln Sailors.

"Women at Sea offers a way for women on the Lincoln to get involved," said Lt. Kelly Kelleher, the Women at Sea chair. "We have Sailors from junior enlisted to officers get together, and I really see them enjoying their time at meetings and events like this."

The Lincoln's Women at Sea chapter provides a forum for women to connect with each other on the ship.

"We are more than just a Navy community, so it is important to volunteer and show support for the community we live in," said Kelleher.

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