Home-away-from-home at Club 7

Story and photos by Senior Airman Elizabeth Baker
86th Airlift Squadron Public Affairs
Airmen eat, socialize, and watch a movie at Club 7 June 10 on Ramstein. Run by the 86th Airlift Wing Chapel, Club 7 is designed to encourage morale and friendship by inviting junior enlisted Airmen to come and enjoy services such as video games, Wi-Fi and food.

Airman 1st Class Amaya Wollaston, 86th Communications Squadron cyber vulnerability management technician, sat on the couch with her friend at Club 7 and talked as they looked through a binder full of movies. After picking a flick they kicked back, snacked and enjoyed a day much like the ones Wollaston used to spend after school at her home in Phoenix, Arizona.

The 86th Airlift Wing Chapel Airman Ministry Center’s Club 7 serves junior enlisted service members of all branches, providing community and a home-away-from-home.

Wollaston  spends her days identifying vulnerabilities on computer networks and severs. Ramstein is her first assignment and she said that, while some Airmen can get stuck in their squadrons, Club 7 helped her branch out and make more friends.

“My favorite part about Club 7 is the people,” Wollaston said. “Not only is Club 7 itself really inviting, but the people are awesome,” Wollaston said. “They’re sweet and really welcoming to everyone. There’s no drama there. It’s just chill.”

“We have four spiritual resiliency pillars at the AMC. Spiritual formation, authentic community, leadership and development, and service to others. We have four Airmen in council positions that are specific to those pillars,” Natalie Luksan, AMC coordinator said.

The council of junior enlisted Airmen operates Club 7 with the assistance of Chaplains and Luksan.

Luksan said many Airmen enjoy the home-style atmosphere at the Club 7 facilities on Ramstein and Kapaun Air Station. She said Airmen relax on the couches and watch TV, enjoy provided snacks, play on all three major game consoles in the game room, and use Wi-Fi. The music room is stocked with guitars and instruments, and on Kapaun the kitchen is stocked with cooking utensils.

“We’re all a big family,” said Luksan. “We talk about that a lot. Our council and volunteers provide such amazing ministry to Airmen here.”

Wollaston said that it’s mainly the people that make Club 7 feel like home for her. Just like her parent’s house, sometimes the rooms are full of people, noise and activity, while other times they’re quiet, good for studying or one-on-one conversation.

“Visiting Club 7 is a really nice, homey and relaxing time for me,” Wollaston said.

Wollaston said that she visits Club 7 a lot just to see what’s going on, talk, play games and relax.

“I’m usually always there on Fridays because they have free food and it’s definitely a break from the dining facility,” Wollaston said.

Luksan said they usually see between 50 and 60 Airmen on Friday nights, partially because they have the option to choose from more than 1,000 movies and 100 games.

“We try to stay as current as we can on whatever would help make this a place Airmen can enjoy,” Luksan said.

The Ramstein Club 7 serves the Friday night meal at 6 p.m. These meals are free to Airmen and sponsored by different groups around base, such as the Kaiserslautern Military Community Top 3 and the Catholic Women of the Chapel.

As Luksan explained, everything the AMC and Club 7 offer goes back to building spiritual resiliency.

Airmen who want to get involved are welcome to come and help out, Luksan said. They always need a volunteer at Club 7.

To find more information on the AMC and Club 7, such as hours and upcoming events, join the Facebook group called Club 7 Ramstein & Kapaun. There is also a new Facebook page taking off that anyone can like and follow called Club 7 Airmen Ministry Center.

Airmen play ping pong in the game room at Club 7 June 10 on Ramstein. The 86th Airlift Wing Chapel’s Airmen Ministry Center runs Club 7 locations on Ramstein and Kapaun with the goal of providing junior enlisted Airmen a safe home-away-from-home atmosphere where they can relax and make friends.