Community spirit was on the table Tuesday evening as more than 150 business leaders gathered with their partners from the Association of the U.S. Army and Air Force Association for a Community Partner Appreciation Dinner held at the Great American Casino in Lakewood.

The event originated as an AUSA and AFA event, but quickly expanded to include all members of the community that support the military, said Tommy Carson, AFA president and transition coach at Camp Murray's Joint Service Support Center.

"It's just a way to say thank you," he said. "Most people do things because they appreciate those who serve the state and nation. They don't do it for anything in return. ...This community realizes you do not have to wear a uniform to serve those who serve."

AFA Chapter 334, which has grown to 138 community partners, recently received a gold award at the National Conference and has been named one of the AFA's top three Community Partners Programs in the U.S., Carson said.

"The dinner is to say, we appreciate you. We thank you," said Robert Branscomb, vice president of the chapter's CPP and chair of its Pilot for a Day Program. "Because of you, our community program is the success that it is."

The evening featured a buffet dinner provided by Great American Casino, which donated both the space and the cost of the meal (about $2,000), said Greg Bakamis, general manager. The facility provides dinner to groups of up to 250 soldiers and airmen from Joint Base Lewis-McChord each quarter, he said. "They serve us 365 days a year. If we give one day out of that year to give back," he said, "that means so much."

The event also provided an opportunity for AUSA and AFA to promote upcoming events and fundraising campaigns, such as the AFA's Pilot for a Day program; Time of Remembrance; the Titus Will FaceBook challenge to raise money for the Army's "Hooah Tent" at the Army 10-Miler next month; and the Business Leaders Are Supporting Troops (BLAST) campaign, which runs Nov. 1 to Dec. 30 to raise funds for military family and airmen/soldier activities in 2011.

The relationship between the local military population and the surrounding community is often symbiotic: servicemembers receive discounts on goods and services while companies benefit financially from having more than 40,000 members of the military in the area.

"We live and die by them," said Mark Ireland, owner of Anytime Fitness in DuPont and Yelm. Ireland and his wife, Helen, support the troops as much as possible, he said, by offering no long-term contracts as well as coupons for no enrollment fee (This article will serve as such a coupon). "It's our way of saying ‘thank you,'" he said.

"Without the military here the economy would be in the tank," said AUSA President and AFA 1st Vice President Carlene Joseph. "So having these folks here makes a big difference for us and we appreciate everything they do for us."

However, "it's not just a dollars and cents situation," said Lakewood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Linda Smith. "We are all impacted by the military on one level or another. We're military brats or married to the military or have family in the military. ...We live it and we breathe it and even if you're not related to the military, you can't help but be impacted by what they do and how they serve every day of their lives."

For more information about AUSA visit www.ausa.org or www.ausafortlewis.com. For more information about the AFA visit www.afa-waregion.org.