{"id":11579563,"date":"2025-07-27T05:00:48","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T09:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11579563&preview=true&preview_id=11579563"},"modified":"2025-07-27T05:01:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T09:01:15","slug":"naval-academy-volunteer-group-amasses-over-14k-hours-during-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/27\/naval-academy-volunteer-group-amasses-over-14k-hours-during-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Naval Academy volunteer group amasses over 14k hours during school year"},"content":{"rendered":"

When asked to recall her best spring break memories as a U.S. Naval Academy student, Midshipman First Class Daisy Zamora described dozens of impromptu basketball games against a disproportionate number of six-year-olds.<\/p>\n

Over the last three years, Zamora has grown accustomed to shooting hoops while wearing her dark blue service uniform, swarmed by youngsters from the Boys and Girls Club of Lummi Nation, a Native American tribe in northwestern Washington State.<\/p>\n

Zamora, a native of Salinas, California, who\u2019s preparing to start her final year at the academy, has volunteered to mentor kids during each of her one-week spring breaks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the best things I\u2019ve done at the Naval Academy and even just generally,\u201d Zamora said of her three trips to the Lummi Nation. \u201cThey take our [hats] and run away or I give them the anchors that decorate my uniform. Just to foster that relationship is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zamora is part of the Midshipmen Action Group (MAG), a volunteer service organization created in 1992. But the group’s impact extends beyond a spring trip to assist children from Native American tribes in STEM education.<\/p>\n

Through MAG, hundreds of midshipmen volunteer their time in Anne Arundel County and Annapolis yearly, amassing more than 14,400 hours across 29 volunteer projects during the 2024-25 academic year.<\/p>\n

Areas of service include environmental stewardship, veteran and convalescent assistance, donations and youth mentorship; 835 midshipmen volunteered a combined 1,783 times at 119 different events during the last school year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is just an incredible amount of service,\u201d said Commander Kyle Bandermann, who provides the group logistical support as its officer representative. \u201cOur moniker is that \u2018Service to the nation begins with service to the community.\u2019 And that is what they\u2019re choosing, that is what they\u2019re prioritizing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mids for Kids<\/h4>\n

MAG is most active during the middle twelve weeks of each semester. Midshipmen, led by a group of about 50 seniors \u2014 or first-class midshipmen \u2014 dedicate hundreds of hours to environmental care through nature cleanups, snow shoveling in Annapolis, planting trees and general landscaping for people in need.<\/p>\n

To support veterans, MAG works with groups that organize memorial trips and ceremonies.<\/p>\n

The flagship program, Mids for Kids, works with about 10 Anne Arundel County Public Schools to put volunteers in classrooms.<\/p>\n

Zamora volunteers at Walter S. Mills-Parole Elementary in Annapolis, assisting kindergartners and fifth graders with their studies.<\/p>\n

MAG members also volunteer at the Anne Arundel County Food Bank’s warehouse, where they sort and box food for distribution, among several other projects. Over their 15-year partnership with the food bank, MAG has donated more than 400,000 pounds of food.<\/p>\n

\u201cMAG members demonstrate a deep commitment to service and community,\u201d Anne Arundel County Food Bank CEO Leah Paley said. \u201cWe are lucky to have them in our corner.”<\/p>\n

MAG is the largest extracurricular activity at the Naval Academy. While midshipmen are required to compete in athletics, there is no requirement for service-related activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no sense that people think midshipmen need to do more for their country, yet they are,\u201d Bandermann said.<\/p>\n

The Princeton Review ranks the\u00a0U.S. Naval Academy number one in \u201cTown-Gown Relations<\/a>,\u201d an analysis of a university\u2019s relationship with its surrounding population. Elizabeth Wrightson, the academy\u2019s director of media relations, credits that success to MAG.<\/p>\n

There are nine\u00a0other clubs at the academy that volunteer for various activities, like the Catholic Midshipmen Club, Latin American Studies Club and Black Studies Club. In total, 2,334 midshipmen volunteered on 189 different events, culminating in 16,943 total service hours from the 2024-2025 academic year.<\/p>\n