GRAYLING — Volunteers were out at Camp Grayling on Thursday and Friday helping bring upgrades to the USO Center on base.
USO or the United Service Organizations, is a non-profit that provides programs, entertainment and facilities to military members and their families. They opened the first USO Center in Michigan at Camp Grayling back in June of 2022. The center gives members who train on the base a place to relax.
“We’ve seen 1,000 [military members] come through our doors in one day and it’s tight in there,” The Director of Operations for the Midwest Region, Liz Muehlfelt admitted.
The improvements come as part of the Lowe’s Hometowns Project that rebuilds and revitalizes community spaces. The USO Center at Camp Grayling is one of 100 community projects they will be completing in 2023.
The grant will bring upgrades to the building itself including a new paint job as well as adding an outdoor pavilion complete with a kitchen and seating area.
Muehlfelt said it will give service members who train at the base for weeks or months at a time a place to unwind after a day of training.
“So, they may be out in the field for days at a time and come back and an ice cold water is the best thing in the world. So, we’re providing that little bit of feeling like home and also just a morale boost and fun at the end of a long day,” Muehlfelt said.