Spotlight!
USO Okinawa Staff Spotlight-Meet Abbie!
By
USO Okinawa November 15, 2023
Abbie Matherne and Meghann Blochowski
USO Okinawa November 15, 2023
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Name: Abbie Matherne
Position/Title: Center Operations Specialist
Time worked at USO: 1 year
Center/Office location: USO Camp Schwab
Abbie is one of the Center Operations Specialists for the USO Camp Schwab team and takes great pride in being part of the USO mission. Originally from a small town in Louisiana, Abbie grew up close to her family, often spending countless hours in the kitchen with her grandmother learning to cook various dishes. She took her grandmother’s cooking lessons and morphed them into one of her passions, often using her cooking skills to express her love for others. Abbie is also a proud cat mom to her adorable kitty, Eliose, who has been a great companion during the move to Okinawa. As a lover of all things Disney, she dreams of visiting every Disney location worldwide and is excited to check Japan off her list soon!
Why do you love working at the USO? I love being part of the USO team and mission as it allows me an opportunity to support the brave men and women of our armed forces. I particularly enjoy how our centers island-wide provide service members a home away from home and a comforting atmosphere, particularly while deployed. Additionally, I want a strong sense of community and gratitude within the organization, which makes our daily work incredibly rewarding.
What is your favorite memory of working at the USO? My favorite memory of working at the USO is when our team baked, packaged, and delivered over 3,000 cookies as part of Operation Cookie Drop, a program where we hand-provide cookies to our Camp Schwab to help spread cheer during the holiday season! We had the chance to hand-deliver cookies right before the Christmas holiday, and the entire week was filled with countless laughs and smiles.
FEATURED PROGRAM:
Storytime with Schwab is one of my favorites, as it is a reading program pairing an active-duty service member with a military child for an afternoon of reading and crafts! Several service members volunteering for Storytime with Schwab are deployed to Okinawa with their families and loved ones stateside. This program allows them to connect and enrich the lives of our Okinawa military families and feel connected to their families back home. Witnessing these connections firsthand is an indescribable experience.