The first event of the New Year was the highly anticipated and popular event, the “Captain’s Cup”. The last two Captain’s Cup events cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With much excitement, all eight Reserve Units and the staff participated in friendly competitions using the best of the best in physical and mental activities involving volleyball, dodgeball, chess, door decoration, tug of war, and a relay race! Our Naval Reserve Security Force detachment from Norco, Calif. took home the Cup this year by a very narrow margin of one point. The staff received numerous positive comments from participants on how well organized and fun the event was.

The delectable MWR Breakfast Sales are always a big hit every drill weekend (DWE) for the SELRES and the staff. It provides a delicious menu on Saturday mornings on a first come first served basis and it continues to be a sold out event every DWE. However, the top fundraiser we have had so far this year was our pie in the face showdown held during our March DWE. The bidding wars from the pie in the face showdown lasted from 0700 on Saturday and ended at 1000 on Sunday. After the biddings ended, we enjoyed watching Sailors and Officers alike partake in the pie in the face showdown. The total funds raised was close to $1,500.00 in one DWE. The funds that we have raised will help with ticket prices and many great giveaway gifts for our planned Christmas Party at the end of the year.

To promote physical fitness and strengthen camaraderie within the command, NRC Riverside has participated in every 5K Run/Walk event at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. since the beginning of the year. We are constantly the biggest participant command on base and all of our Air Force brothers and sisters are starting to take notice. We have showed up and showed out for the Halloween Costume, Turkey Trot, Ugly Sweater, Happy New You, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Super Hero 5K Run/Walk events. Participating in events like these and the Moreno Valley “M” trail hikes makes us a healthy command while also making our team grow stronger and closer together as a Unit.

Always taking an extra step forward not just in the command but also in the community, NRC Riverside registered with Beautify Mo Val, a local clean up organization that supports parks, roads, and local areas that needs some minor maintenance and clean up. “Giving back to the community is important, like what we are doing here on this park to ensure a clean and safe environment for children, pets, and the neighborhood. It always feels good to work with the surrounding community in beautifying areas, developing teamwork, and providing attractive areas for others to enjoy. It only takes a few minutes to volunteer, but its impacts are far reaching. The little time that others provide in beautifying an area may make someone’s day that much better. A park like this one may be used for a baby’s first birthday, playing sports, or a peaceful family picnic leaving lasting memories”, said Chief Machinist Mate Elvin J. Ermitanio, NRC Riverside Command Senior Enlisted leader.

NRC Riverside celebrated Earth Day in April by taking a few hours out of the workday in cleaning up Vistas Lomas Park. “As a community, we should treat every day as Earth Day and set our goals to increase the recycling of items, dispose of trash in applicable trash bins, avoid misuse of water, specifically long showers, and using more public transportation. These actions would assist in reducing landfills, improve water availability, and have cleaner air. The goal is for our future generations to have the same or better quality of life items that we are currently blessed with”, said Lt. Cmdr. Marcelo A. Rodriguez, NRC Riverside Executive Officer.

To continue our efforts in giving back to the community, we have scheduled five more clean ups for the rest of 2022. “Community service is important to the command because it gives us an opportunity to give back to the people and the community where we live, work, and play. In addition to being able to have a direct impact and improve the lives of the people around us, community service also gives my command an opportunity to take a break from the daily grind of work and have some fun while also building better camaraderie and esprit de corps. NRC Riverside’s Adoption of a Park is a win-win scenario for everyone and we look forward to adopting a school in the future as well”, said Cmdr. Christian F. Dumlao, NRC Riverside Commanding Officer.

NRC Riverside will continue to leave a positive footprint for our SELRES, the staff, and within our surrounding community. The Sailors of NRC Riverside truly emulate the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.