Fleet Week participants train with Baltimore's Freestate ChalleNGe Academy cadets
BALTIMORE -- All week long, sailors and Marines have been giving back to the community as part of the Fleet Week festivities.
On Saturday, they spent their morning at Under Armor House performing physical training exercises with the cadets from Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
About 75 sailors and Marines participated in the physical training exercise.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Nancy Guillermo said it was about "building that friendship, that connection, that mentorship, and, of course, having fun and just building comradery."
They aimed to inspire academy members.
"Just to know they can serve their country and it's fun, that we're normal people just like they are and they can achieve their goals," U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Brian Cavanaugh said.
The Freestate ChalleNGe Academy falls under the umbrella of the National Guard.
It provides Maryland's high-risk youth, ages 16–18, a second chance at an education and life.
"It gives them an opportunity to reset and just learn and get a different perspective in life and know there is something more than whatever they've been exposed to," Freestate ChalleNGe Academy director Keith Dickerson said.
The physical training exercise gives academy members "an opportunity to see what they could be," Freestate ChalleNGe Academy IT specialist Leo Brownlee said.
For Cavanaugh, the event provides him with an opportunity to reconnect with his past.
"I grew up here, went to Poly," Cavanaugh said. "I went to the Naval academy as well. So, just being connected with the Navy and Marine Corps for the community, this is where we get our people, and to get back in the community, is important."