Sailors from USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) volunteered at the Dusk to Dawn Shelter, July 19, 2009, as part of a community relations (COMREL) project during the guided-missile destroyer's second port call in South Africa.

"I volunteer for COMRELs like these because I enjoy doing something good that makes a difference in someone's life," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Dula. "Everyone there was very friendly and accommodating, offering us beverages while we completed our work. There was some hard work, but we all had a good time and worked as a team. It's a very fulfilling feeling to have helped the shelter's staff and those who may find refuge there."

Dusk to Dawn Shelter is an urban-based, non-governmental organization that caters to abused women and children, offering them a support structure and place of safety. Since only a limited number of local volunteers are available to help run the shelter, the Arleigh Burke sailors pitched in by deep-cleaning different sections of the shelter and repairing areas of the roofing that were prone to leaks. Others spent the day either inside applying fresh coats of paint to several walls and ceilings or outside laying down bricks for a walkway. The Arleigh Burke volunteer crew also donated books, clothes and toys to the shelter, items they had collected from the ship's company.

"The people there were very happy to see us, and I'll never forget the smiles on their faces," said Chief Intelligence Specialist Danny Dancy. "How many sailors can say they helped put smiles on the faces of some women and children in South Africa? It was a very special moment for me, and I hope it was for them too."

Arleigh Burke arrived in the Cape Town area July 18, wrapping up a week-long, at-sea series of exercises with the South Africa Navy corvette SAS Amatola (F 145). Cooperative activities such as small boat operations, joint maneuvering drills and flashing light communications were a few of the various evolutions conducted, each geared to enhance maritime interoperability between the two nations' navies. Additionally, each ship hosted several of the other's sailors during the week for a chance to ride a foreign navy ship.

Arleigh Burke, a guided-missile destroyer home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia., is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The ship has supported various partnership-building operations and training, including Africa Partnership Station port visits in Djibouti, Kenya and Seychelles and is scheduled to continue similar port visits to Mauritius and Tanzania in the coming months.