Twenty-five Sailors stationed at the U.S. Navy's premier aviation technical training facility unloaded a truck load of Christmas trees Nov. 24 for Arc Gateway, a Pensacola, Fla. area non-profit organization.

Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) volunteers, including NATTC Executive Officer Cmdr. Scott Sherman and NATTC Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Kirk Klawitter, unloaded Frasier Fur Christmas trees for the Arc Gateway Nursery, an institution serving the needs of developmentally disabled individuals in the Pensacola, Fla., area.

Sherman said this volunteer effort reinforces NATTC's commitment to the local community and the importance of providing assistance to organizations such as Arc Gateway.

Arc Gateway Nursery Horticulture Manager Darlene Bonelli was very appreciative of the outpouring of support from NATTC, and she was especially thankful for the flexibility of the NATTC volunteers after delivery truck delays forced a last-minute schedule change.

"The Arc Gateway would really like to thank the NATTC volunteers for their help with the Christmas trees," Bonelli said. "We couldn't have done it without them!"

Arc Gateway is an organization designed to provide the best possible life experiences for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Operating since 1954, the non-profit organization boasts numerous programs for Pensacola-area developmentally disabled individuals including the Nursery, the Pollak Training Center, the Senior Adult Program at Bayview Senior Center and the Pearl Nelson Child Development Center.

The Christmas trees are now being sold to the public, and Bonelli said that all proceeds from the sale will go toward Arc Gateway programs.

For more than 70 years, the Naval Air Technical Training Center has been providing training and increasing readiness within the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE). The facility graduates approximately 15,000 Navy, Marine and international students annually and is the largest training facility in the Navy post Recruit Training Command.


For more news from Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, visit www.navy.mil/.