Sailors from USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (CNE-CNA/C6F) volunteered at Cypriot community organizations Theotokos Foundation and the St. Loukas Parents Association for Adults with Disabilities during the ship's port visit in Limassol, Cyprus, Feb. 27.

During the simultaneous service projects, Sailors painted walls inside of recreational rooms, cleared nearby gardens of debris, and spent time interacting with physically and mentally challenged residents staying at the Theotokos Foundation.

Quote:
"I am very appreciative of the time spent with the U.S. Navy. When I see so many young people coming to our facility to see our family it makes me feel something so unbelievably good inside. It's important for our residents to see young people and to have the chance to spend time with them." - Thomas Katsionis Director, Theotokos Foundation

"I really enjoyed spending time with the residents and staff at both facilities, and I was extremely happy to see how friendly they were to us. This was the first time that I had ever participated in a COMREL like this. It makes me appreciative of the life that I live, and for the opportunity to give back to others when needed." -Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Alejandro Alarcon USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)

Quick Facts:

The Theotokos Foundation provides health care services to mentally and physically challenged Cypriot youth and adults. The St. Loukas Parents Association for Adults with Disabilities seeks to empower adults with disabilities to get jobs and make other contributions to society.

More than 25 Sailors volunteered to help the two organizations.

Mount Whitney is making a scheduled port visit in Cyprus in order to enhance U.S.-Cyprus relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous region.

Mount Whitney, forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering and supply service operations, while military personnel support communications, weapons systems and security. It is one of only two seaborne Joint Command Platforms in the U.S. Navy, both of which are forward deployed.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/.