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Important Upcoming Events
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July 16-18
Congressional Fly In
August 14
Finance Committee Meeting
August 15
Executive Committee Meeting
13-14 September
AFA National Convention
16-18 October
Region and State Presidents Meeting
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AFA National Report
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Clarkson University cadet Nicholas Donato is president of one of AFA's newest chapters, Pride of the Adirondacks. See "AFA National Report" in June's Air Force Magazine. Photo by JoseAndresRuizPhotography.com.
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Field Operations Update
Summertime!
Most of us are coming out of a very active second quarter for AFA activities, one in which we were presenting AFA awards to various JROTC and AFROTC cadets, holding our own award programs, and other springtime activities. Now we move into summer. Things tend to slow down a bit during this quarter, but it's still important to stay on top of AFA business. With all the budget activity in Congress, this is a good time to be connecting with your local Congressmen and advocating for a strong Air Force. We need to make sure that they understand the debilitating effects of reduced budgets and sequestration has on our Air Force. Get smart on the issues through the Airpower Advocates Group or through the information on our website, then contact your Congressman and make them aware of your concerns. Need more help with this? Contact the AFA Staff, Chet Curtis at ccurtis@afa.org.
AFA Convention
Registration is open for our 13-14 September National Convention and the Air and Space Conference. This is an important year, with several key elections, a new Statement of Policy, and new Strategic Plan, so I encourage as many of you as possible to attend as delegates to the convention. Remember, the delegates govern the association, and the delegates represent our membership. Be a part of that-you can make a difference! Optional Field briefings will be available to you Saturday morning prior to the start of the convention.
Building Naming Ceremony
On Friday, 12 Sep, the night before the AFA Convention begins, we will be naming the AFA National building for our founding president, Jimmy Doolittle. We will hold a ceremony at the building in Arlington, VA. Transportation from the Gaylord Hotel will be provided for those who arrive early enough to attend. I encourage those who are attending the convention to get there in time to make it to this ceremony. The time for this dedication is still tentative, but we will send out details as the planning is finalized. For now, keep this in mind when making your travel plans. It should be a great event and, for those who wish, there will be an opportunity to attend The Air Force Band concert at the Air Force Memorial immediately following the building naming ceremony.
E-Business Progress
The staff continues to make good progress in helping us embrace modern technology. We expect a new Air Force Magazine App for mobile devices to be available this month. We'll announce when that goes live. It will allow you to view the digital versions of AF Magazine and Wingman Magazine on your tablets. Wingman will be available to the general public, but AF Magazine will be viewable only by members. In addition, we are getting close to making web-based reporting available to our chapters. We are hoping to make that an available option for the second quarter reporting, but it will be a close call. Again, it will be an option. We expect to fully transition to web-based reporting (activity and finance reports) by this fall. It will eliminate many of the errors we routinely see and will, I believe, make things better for everyone concerned.
Membership
Membership continues to be a major issue for us. While eMemberships continue to rise, overall membership remains on a constant downward glidepath. There is no silver bullet that will solve this for us. It's up to us to continue to pursue it on every front. Chapters need to strive to meet your membership goals. If every chapter were to meet that, it would make a huge difference. Personal, one-on-one contact is the most successful method. Please do your part.
Check out the latest tips from the Membership Committee, below.
Thanks for all you do to support AFA.
Scott Van Cleef
Vice Chairman-Field Ops
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AFA Membership Committee Update
It's an exciting summer for membership. While our overall membership numbers are still trending downward our new e-membership is gaining momentum. As of June 4th, we have 462 eMembers: 207 renewals/conversions and 255 new members. Our Association is meeting a need for digital content and we're continuing to grow those capabilities.
What's really exciting is the activity happening around the country with one-on-one connections to build value in AFA and one of our greatest assets-airmen who love our Air Force and want to do more. The two stories below showcase the efforts of CMSgt Katie McCool with events for enlisted members and Julie Curlin's mentoring moment with a junior airman. While some seek that magic bullet that will miraculously skyrocket our membership the best, and enduring, method is shaking a hand, making an acquaintance, and telling them about our Air Force Association.
Membership Growth for Enlisted Airmen
Membership Mentoring
Are you getting this?
If you read Newsline, let us know by clicking here to give us some feedback. Clicking on this link will just let us know that you are reading these articles! We need to hear from you. If you have a story, please share it with us. This month we are excited to have a testimonial on membership from Lee Barnby, California State President. Read his story here and be sure to send us yours next month!
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2014 Slate of Candidates for National Office
The AFA Nominating Committee, under the leadership of Sandy Schlitt, met in Atlanta, GA, on 10 May 2014. See the full slate of candidates here.
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AFA Hangar Store Update
AFA is excited to have a new Hangar Store! However, a few items are backordered. Please click here for more information on these items.
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AFA Receives $250K Grant from the George and Vicki Muellner Foundation
AFA recently announced a $250,000 grant received from the George and Vicki Muellner Foundation to provide scholarships for students participating in Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings. Read the full article here.
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2014 National Convention and Air and Space Conference Registration Now Open!
The registration page for the 2014 National Convention and Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition went live on May 1st. Both will once again be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. The National Convention will be 13-14 September and the Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition will be September 15-17. Read full details on the event here. |
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Upcoming Wounded Airman Program Events
AFA has many WAP program events coming up! See here for the full calendar (subject to change). |
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Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings Update
The Air Force Association is proud to have a close relationship with these two community service societies. AAS/SW Cadets put in of 102,000 community service hours last year! Click here to read more about AAS/SW and learn about a project put on by cadets from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. |
 Community Partner Spotlight
The Frank Luke Chapter in Arizona recently reached out to the Visions Program Management team at USA TODAY's national headquarters to see if they would like to become a Community Partner. Of course, they were interested, as USA TODAY and the Air Force Association have a close relationship through their sponsorship of the Visions of Exploration Program. If your chapter is involved with Visions, consider reaching out to your local USA TODAY office and asking them to be a Community Partner!
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Field Spotlight
On February 22, the Miami Homestead Chapter in Florida hosted a cookout at the Veterans Administration Hospital Community Living Center to honor and entertain local veterans. Veterans and their caretakers were invited to have lunch and socialize with each other and chapter members. Chapter Officers served food to attendees. Entertainment was provided by the Singing Miamians, a group of local musicians known for their impressive vocal performances. This lunch was an excellent opportunity to give back to veterans in the Miami area.
If your chapter has recently put on an event or started a new program, please send a short article to field@afa.org to be featured in Newsline!
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Air Force Memorial Summer Concert Series
It is that time of year again - for the Air Force Memorial's Summer Concert Series! Every Friday night, the Memorial will be hosting a free concert by The United States Air Force Band. See here for the full schedule of events. Please see the following links for important information about planning your trip!
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Registration for CyberPatriot VII is Open!
Registration for the upcoming season of the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition is open now through October 10, 2014. For more information on registration, click here.
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AFA Scholarship Opportunities
AFA has three scholarships closing at the end of June. Applications for the Col Loren J. and Mrs. Lawona R. Spencer Scholarship, Captain Jodi Callahan Memorial Scholarship, and the Lt Col Romeo-Josephine Bass Ferretti Scholarship must be received at AFA by June 30, 2014. For more information and specific requirements, please click here or contact Jill Westeyn, Manager of Award and Scholarship, at awards@afa.org.
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From the AFA Facebook Page...
Red Tail Memorial Chapter presents AFROTC award
What a great show of community! The AFA Red Tail Memorial Chapter presented an AFA Award to a deserving cadet during the University of Florida's AFROTC Awards.
Visit the AFA Facebook page here!
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Explore AFA on Social Media!
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