“Ohana means family; family means no one gets left behind or forgotten,” said Daveigh Chase, voice of Lilo in the 2002 Walt Disney picture “Lilo and Stitch.”

            Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., held its 10th annual Fall Family Festival at McTureous Hall aboard the base, Sept. 27. This year’s theme was “Ohana,” the Hawaiian word for family.

            Service members, base employees and retired military personnel aboard MCLB Barstow wore colorful luau outfits, flower leis and Hawaiian Aloha shirts while enjoying quality time with their family and friends.

            The evening included free Hawaiian food like Kalua pulled pork, Tahitian chicken and coconut rice, provided by the Marine Corps Community Services Food and Hospitality Branch. Children of all ages enjoyed activities such as a puppet show, a mechanical surf board, face painting, and a myriad inflatables.

This year’s festival was also used to kick-start the Combined Federal Campaign, explained Jennifer Silva, MCLB’s Marine Corps Community Services marketing manager.

 “The Combined Federal Campaign is a way to donate to your favorite charity through the proper channel,” Silva said. “It’s a way to ensure your money is going to the right place.”

Silva has been the overall coordinator for the festival for the past three years, and this is the second year the Fall Family Festival was combined with the CFC. Silva explained that the venue was perfect, the massive turnout gave the charities an opportunity to meet face to face with the community and allowed them the chance to explain their purpose or mission.  

A few of the many charities associated with the CFC that were present at the Ohana Festival were: the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Navigators Military Mission, United Negro College Fund, Strength for Service, City of Hope, Children’s Law Center, Relay for Life, and Desert Manna, according to Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Putney, assistant base inspector aboard MCLB Barstow and liaison between the base and the CFC charities.

After everyone was full of Hawaiian food and received information about their favorite charities, patrons sat down to enjoy the Namad Artz Polynesian Fire Dancers, presented by Entertainment Max.

            “The Polynesian dance at the end of the night was my favorite,” said Silva. “They made a lot of people happy. Kids loved their outfits and had the opportunity to take pictures with them after their performance.”

            Before enjoying the dance, guests bailed their loved ones out of jail so everyone could watch it together. The jail, a makeshift cardboard jail, was run by Marines aboard MCLB Barstow to raise money for the Marine Corps Ball. Patrons had the opportunity throughout the night to request the “arrest” of someone at the festival on a bail of five dollars.   

Sponsors who helped make the night possible included: Country Inns & Suites, Park University and T- Mobile, said Silva.

            “The overall goal of sponsorship is to offset the cost for us, and to give our sponsors the engagement they want with military members for their business,” said the marketing manager.

She explained that many people aboard MCLB Barstow are unaware of the programs that MCCS offers them, or that the programs are for all Department of Defense employees, retirees, and reservists.  

            Although “Ohana” may not be the theme for next year’s Fall Family Festival, family is still going to be important. “We wanted to relay the importance of family through this year’s festival as well as the importance of MCCS,” said Silva.