In America, few things are nobler than serving your country. But for the family of retired Army Lt. Col. Eric McClung, there’s a downside to being so devoted.
“There’s always a question of where we’re going to go next,” said Eric’s wife, April.
“I found myself relying on moving at some point,” said Eric’s daughter, 16-year-old Katie McClung. “It’s like, ‘oh well, we’re gonna move soon, so nothing’s a big deal.'”
Lt. Col. McClung‘s children, Katie and 14-year-old Sam, have never spent more than a few years in the same place. Luckily, they do all their schoolwork online. However, finding new friends in a new community wasn’t always as easy.
Until, they realized, the best way to feel at home was to get away from home.
“We aren’t super big fans of just sitting around and doing nothing, so we thought, ‘we’ve got all this time, we might as well do something with it,’” Katie said.
With each move, Katie and Sam have made themselves a part of the community through volunteering.
They help out at places like Community Link in Saginaw, stocking food and packing meals for the homeless. They put in more than 100 hours in the past seven months alone. Their help is invaluable.
“I could not do it without them,” one Community Link official said.
Of all the things teenagers can do a new city, Katie and Sam admit they don’t have to do this. Instead, they say they need to.
“At what point do you say, ‘this is my responsibility to help other people now,'" Katie said. “I feel like it’s what I should do, what I’m called to do.”
“Really no reason we can’t do this, so why not, right?” Sam said.
All because two loving parents show them what it truly means to serve.