Jacksonville Airport Center receives $25k for upgrades to theatre, game room, more

USO of North Carolina

Jacksonville, N.C.  – COMING SOON

With the support of the Armed Forces Families Foundation, the USO of North Carolina at Jacksonville will soon offer its 4,300 monthly military visitors with upgraded amenities and a new program to help service members stay connected to their families. 

Earlier this year, AFFF pledged over $23,000 in funds to upgrade equipment for the Jacksonville center’s 250-person auditorium and for upgrades to the game room at Ellis Airport. Nearly $18,000 of the funding will help to outfit the theater with a new projector, screen, sound system and black out curtains. The airport lounge game room is also expected to undergo major upgrades as part of the project. Remaining funds will be used to cover the cost of new decor and fresh paint for the existing game room, as well as the purchase of new game consoles and other entertainment equipment. 

Additionally, as part of AFFF’s commitment to the Jacksonville USO Center, the charity group will also provide an additional $2,453.95 in funding to kickstart a new program at the facility – Smiles Over Miles. The program helps promote reading while helping connect service members and their families. A popular program at other USO Centers in the state, Smiles Over Miles Service allows military members to choose from a variety of books to read and record a video message for their child as they travel or prepare for a deployment. Before deployment, the USO  provides the military parent with a book and the DVD recording to give to their child. This enables children to “read with their parent” over the course of their travels or deployment. 

If you’d like to volunteer with USO of NC or learn more, please visit https://northcarolina.uso.org/.