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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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"The older guys would never have thought of this," said a Whiteman Chapter VP. Learn how the chapter created buzz in July's "AFA National Report" in Air Force Magazine. USAF photo by A1C Joel Pfiester.
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Field Operations Update
Leadership Training: Two new items have been added to the Training section of the AFA Website under "Field Leaders". The first is a new PPt presentation for Airmen and Family Support. Specifically, if you have appointed or plan to appoint a new chapter VP for Airmen and Family support issues, this guide will lead him or her through the process of establishing programs and in developing a relationship with your nearby unit or base. It's basic enough for anyone to understand how to get started and, for those who have established programs, offers ideas on how to make a program better. Pick and choose the info you wish to use, depending on your chapter's situation.
The newest training module available to you deals with our favorite subject-Recruiting New Members. It's divided into three parts (a fourth soon to be added), each of which runs from about 10-12 minutes in length. I think you'll find that it's well researched and offers some practical rules and tips for finding and recruiting new members to your chapters. Who can't use a few more members?
A third new module, Base Relations, will be out in the next week or two and deals with establishing good relations with your nearby air base or unit. It is very well done and provides valuable information and techniques for any chapter near an AF base.
Take the time to check these out. Each is presented in bite-sized chunks so it doesn't take much of your time. This is excellent leadership training for Field Leaders. But, even the best training module is worthless if no one looks at them.
Airmen and Family Support:Here's an idea from one of our Emerging Leaders in this year's program: Among the many things we can do to support our Airmen is to recognize those who excel. If you are near a base, you should consider monitoring the base newspaper (or electronic equivalent) to see who's recently been promoted, who's been recognized by their units for outstanding performance, and who's achieved other milestones in their lives. Their names and units are usually provided. How about sending them a note of congratulations from your chapter? Send it to their unit...they will get it and you avoid all those issues about privacy, etc. If it's something special, like a promotion, can you include a gift card to a local Community Partner's establishment? It's a great way to let our Airmen know we care and we're there to support them. I bet they'll remember who AFA is next time they are asked! Make this a permanent part of your chapter's support program.
Web Based Chapter Reporting:We are making progress in developing a web based reporting process, both for our quarterly finance and activity reports. However, they are not ready for prime time yet so we'll stick with what we know for the second quarter reports. A couple of regions will test the new web based finance report for this quarter and we plan to have everything ready for all Field units to use for third quarter reporting. Using the web based forms will likely be optional through the remainder of this year, but will become mandatory staring in 2015. I believe almost everyone will see the advantages to web based reporting once you give it a try. It will eliminate a lot of the irritants we have in the current system.
"The Survey Says..." Speaking of reporting, Region, State and Chapter presidents will have received a new survey from AFA regarding chapter reporting. Please make the time to do the survey. In a quest to improve our reporting system, rather than just convert the old system into a web-based program we'd also like to hear from you about what you think we can do to improve the reporting process. This is your chance to give us some unvarnished feedback on the reporting process. Please take advantage of this and do the survey right away, but certainly before the deadline.
I hope you are enjoying a good summer.
Scott
Scott Van Cleef
Vice Chairman-Field Operation
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AFA Membership Committee Update
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2014 AFA Award Recipients
The Air Force Association would like to congratulate this year's award winners! See the links below to view the recipients of our Field, Membership, and National Aerospace Awards.
View the winners of our Field and Membership Awards here. View the winners of our National Aerospace Awards here. Congratulations again to these worthy recipients! |
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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. Spouse Activities
Join us in September for additional activities during Convention for our delegate spouses! Space is limited, so register today! Please click here for a full agenda. Register for Spouse Activities here. |
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Information on Congressional Meetings for Delegates
If you plan to set up meetings with your representatives on Capitol Hill around the 2014 Convention and Air and Space Conference, please utilize this guide created by AFA's Government Relations Department! |
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New Public Relations Guide
To assist chapters with their external and internal communications program, the newly formed AFA Communications Committee has prepared a PA Presentation for your chapter. It is a basic "how to" program to assist you as chapter President and/or your VP of Communications to assist in your communications with the media. The presentation is currently being mailed to all chapters and it is also available here.
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Military Order of the World Wars
Those Chapters looking to support their local youth may want to consider looking into "The Military Order of the World Wars" (MOWW) Youth Leadership Program. Read more about it here.
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Air Force Association And Air Force Museum Foundation
The Air Force Association and the Air Force Museum Foundation is offering reciprocal membership discounts. Current members of one organization can now join the other organization at a discounted rate. Both AFA and AFMF extensively promote aerospace power and aviation history, and have partnered to benefit their members and others interested in the US Air Force and its heritage. For more information on discounted rates for membership, visit the website or call the AFA Membership Department at (800) 727-3337 or membership@afa.org.
Check out the events and programs put on by the Air Force Museum Foundation here!
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AFA's Wounded Airman Program Receives Support from AFA Cycling Classic
The Air Force Association's Wounded Airman Program (WAP) was the designated beneficiary for this year's Air Force Association Cycling Classic, held June 7-8, 2014, in Arlington, Va. At a ceremony held Saturday, June 7, 2014, AFA received a check for $20,000 in support of WAP initiatives. The funds were raised through pledges made by those participating as part of Team Sabre in the Cycling Classic's Challenge Ride as well as individual donations. Nearly 1,800 riders participated in this year's two-day event, and it had more than 55 individual and corporate fundraisers.
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Field Spotlight
Special spotlight on the Northeast Region! The Air Force was invited to participate in the Army's Warrior Games Trials at West Point in June, and to help fill the budget gaps, AFA was asked to step in. For many Airmen, attending events is a financial burden. Travel, and lodging were covered for the most part, but not all meals were taken care of, nor were incidentals, especially for the veterans participating who are no longer eligible for per diem reimbursement. We are committed to taking care of our wounded population, which includes veterans, and our Northeast Region answered the call. AFW2 estimated a need for $4,000 for the week, and through the generosity of the States, chapters, and local individuals, over $5,000 was raised, going directly to the Airmen spending the week in New York. To go even further, local members attended events, greeted wounded Airmen at the airport, and escorted them when needed. The Airmen, as well as AFW2 were touched by and grateful for AFA's strength in the Region. This was an outstanding effort, and we applaud the work of our members in the Region.
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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First AFA CyberCamp Pilot Scheduled for Mid-JulyAFA launched its first CyberCamp this July. Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot National Commissioner, and staff are visiting Texas Woman's University (TWU) July 14, 2014 to teach twenty high school student campers about online safety and cybersecurity. This will be the first of three pilot CyberCamps to be held during the summer, with camps in San Antonio and Northern Virginia scheduled for later dates.
Reminder: Coach and Mentor registration for CyberPatriot VII is open! Register a team online at www.uscyberpatriot.org. The registration deadline is October 10. For more information about how to get involved in CyberPatriot -- the National Youth Cyber Education Program -- contact us at 877-885-5716 or info@uscyberpatriot.org.
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Head of Air Force Global Strike Command Speaks at June Air Force Breakfast
Lt Gen Stephen Wilson, Commander Air Force Global Strike Command, discussed the B-2 and B-52 as well as manning at ICBM wings, at the June installment of the AFA Air Force Breakfast Program. To hear Lt Gen Wilson's full remarks, listen to the audio from the event here.
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From the AFA Facebook Page...
Six New Commissioned 2nd Lieutenants
Congratulations to these six new commissioned 2nd Lieutenant's from Detachment 538 AFROTC at Rochester Institute of Technology. On the far right are 2nd Lt Philipp Wittmaach and 2nd Lt Robert Barns who helped the new class of CyberPatriot at Franklin High School's Integrated Arts and Technology School in Rochester, NY.
Visit the AFA Facebook page here!
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Explore AFA on Social Media!
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