To all CAP PAOs:

Welcome to another PAO Update. Please join me in congratulating our newest Civil Air Patrol region PAOs – Lt. Col. Anthony (Tony) Biondo of the Middle East Region and Capt. Marie Haberstroh of the Great Lakes Region. Tony served on the advisory committee that planned the inaugural PAO Academy in 2007. He also serves as North Carolina's Public Affairs director. Marie, who attended the 2007 academy, is also the Ohio Wing PAO. Congratulations, Marie. Congratulations, Tony. NHQ/PA looks forward to working with you.

It's been too long since our last update, and there is a lot of information to pass on. So let's get right to it:

Civil Air Patrol Public Affairs Officer Course – Everyone who has wondered why the ECI (now AFIADL) CAP Public Affairs Officer 02010 correspondence course talks about mimeograph machines, typewriter ribbons and gluepots, but makes no mention of the Internet, Web sites or e-mail, can rest easy. NHQ/PA has authorized a committee to develop a new basic training course for our PAOs that will ensure they have the skills they need to comply with CAPR 190-1. Chaired by Capt Steven Solomon, the SER director of public affairs, along with members 1st Lt. Don Penven of the North Carolina Wing, 1st Lt. Jeanne Stone-Hunter of the Wyoming Wing and Julie DeBardelaben and Jim Tynan, both of CAP National Headquarters, the committee's goal is to make the course relevant to today's PAOs as they satisfy the CAPP 201 Technician Rating requirement. Send comments to SSolomon@sercap.us.

Hometown News Release Program – The CAP Hometown News Release Program located at www.cap.gov/visitors/members/public_affairs/hometown_news_release_program/ is an easy way for PAOs to raise awareness of CAP in their communities. This program is particularly valuable during the busy summer season, when about 1,000 of our cadets are participating in a host of National Cadet Summer Activities. Hometown news release templates are continually being developed for events throughout the year as information becomes available. To download a release, right click on the event name and on "save as" – or to read it, left click on the event name and select "open." Please localize the content at all spots designated with underlines and bold-faced copy. It is very important to add local contact information so local media can follow up with you. PAOs may choose to issue a hometown news release before and/or after a special event. If before, send it out about 10 days prior to the start of an event; if after, send it out as soon as possible after the event ends. Please send publicity secured through your efforts to CAP NHQ at kwright@capnhq.gov.

2008 Public Affairs Officer Academy – If you have not registered for the academy, there is still time. Go to http://www.cap.gov/visitors/members/public_affairs/2007_cap_pao_academy/. Full details on the 2008 PAO Academy are posted. The academy will feature concurrent sessions for both beginner and advanced PAOs. There also will be some joint sessions. Presenters will focus on the theme, "Public Affairs Essentials: Think Nationally Act Locally," in providing participants with training specifically designed to meet the needs of today's PAOs. In addition, each PAO will have his/her photo taken with CNN's Miles O'Brien, this year's featured speaker.

Last call for Balsem award entries – NHQ/PA is now accepting entries for the 2008 Maj. Howell Balsem CAP Public Affairs Exceptional Achievement Awards competition, but time is running out. The deadline is June 30, so take time now to make sure your outstanding work is recognized. There is no registration fee, and all CAP PAOs are eligible to enter. Winners will be named in eight categories at the 2008 PAO Academy awards reception on Aug. 6. Go to www.cap.gov/visitors/members/public_affairs/2007_cap_pao_academy/maj_howard_balsem_pa_awards for entry forms and details.

PAO Academy sponsorship – The think-tank Posit Science will be one of the sponsors of the 2008 PAO Academy. According to its Web site, Posit Science works with a global team of scientists to build scientifically validated, non-invasive programs for improving brain health. Go to www.positscience.com for more information. If you or your company would like to be a PAO Academy sponsor, please contact Lt. Col. Cynthia Ryan at ladybird53@sbcglobal.net.

Happy anniversary – CAP's 1st Lt. Don Penven, deputy PA director for the North Carolina Wing, received excellent publicity last month on CAP's 60th anniversary of the signing of Public Law 557, which made the Civil Air Patrol the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Many state legislative bodies passed resolutions honoring the anniversary. Lawmakers in North Carolina, with the prompting of Penven, added a twist to their proclamation. The N.C. General Assembly, in addition to paying tribute to Civil Air Patrol, honored one of CAP's "finest members," Chap. Lt. Col. Royce A. Beacham, who died in March. Combining the anniversary and Beacham's life and service was nice. Thanks to each of you who organized local efforts to promote the 60th anniversary of Public Law 557.

Award winning PAO – For the second year in a row, a member of the Minnesota Wing was honored with an award from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators (MAGC). Capt. Richard Sprouse, Group 2 PAO, received an Award of Merit in the Public Information Projects-Media/Press Kit category from MAGC. Sprouse's entry showcased the air-to-air refueling efforts of the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds to CAP members and Minnesota news media. His feature article on the Minnesota Wing's flight academy received an Award of Excellence last year from MAGC.

Public affairs officer training – In April, 14 CAP officers and five cadets gathered at the Muniz Air National Guard Base to conduct the Puerto Rico Wing's first PAO workshop of the year. The seminar explored a wide range of topics, included an active discussion of ways to tell the CAP story to island audiences. It was conducted by the wing PAO, Lt. Col. Jose Ramos. Congrats to the Puerto Rico Wing and all wings and regions that make training a top priority.

Additional training opportunities – Warren Graef, PAO of the Sugarland (Texas) Composite Squadron and a PIO for a local fire department, offers suggestions for PAO/PIO training. He says the G-290 course is offered by many states either through their state Department of Emergency Management or a state-chartered National Fire Academy/Emergency Management Institute training site. He says the U.S. Coast Guard also has an excellent, 40-hour public affairs officer resident training program. Sr. Mbr. Graef's suggestion has merit, in that such training not only makes us better PAOs, but also exposes CAP's many resources to our communities.

Traveling virtually via blog – Capt. Brenda Reed, Maryland Wing PAO, reports that wing 2008 IACE participants wrote about their adventures in Singapore on a blog. The site http://iacesingapore.wordpress.com/ was updated regularly as the delegation added to the blog, and sent back photos of their adventures. The wing plans to use the blog concept to capture the thoughts and experiences of a visiting delegation of international cadets in July.

National publicity – Speaking of the Maryland Wing, cadets from the Bethesda-Chevy Composite Squadron are currently featured on the Kids National Geographic online version at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Photos/Gallery/Vietnam-memorial-cleaning. This photo slide show captures Maryland Wing cadets washing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The slide show is one of many good examples of national publicity for CAP recently. Paul Cianciolo, National Capital Wing PAO, secured coverage for a war hero and CAP member profiled in Washingtonian magazine: http://natcapwg.cap.gov/node/118. The National Capital Wing was also the source for a story in the Washington Post about CAP aircrews' involvement in "Falcon Virgo" flights over the nation's capital: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/21/AR2008052102251.html?hpid=moreheadlines.

Local media coverage – Publicity was also plentiful on the local level. Two good examples came from the North Carolina and South Carolina wings. In North Carolina, news of CAP aircrews' boat patrols over the Memorial Day holiday weekend was broadcast via WBTV in Charlotte. Thanks to 1st Lt. William David Hodges, South Piedmont Senior Squadron PAO, for sending us a link to that broadcast. Unfortunately, the link to the broadcast has expired, or I would share it with you. In South Carolina, a CAP orientation flight was featured on the front page of The News Journal in Florence. Thanks to Lt. Col. Nancy Gleaton, South Carolina Wing PAO, for sharing this coverage with us.

Accessing your newsletters – Now that we're on the subject of sharing, let me encourage PAOs with newsletters to send those Web addresses to NHQ/PA. We are interested in all newsletters – large or small, cadet, squadron, group and wing level publications. NHQ/PA will post these addresses online so that other PAOs can see your work. Send them to kwright@capnhq.gov.

Civil Air Patrol Volunteer – The July-August 2008 issue of the Volunteer will feature removable mailing labels, which will permit CAP members to recirculate their magazines in their communities. NHQ/PA encourages PAOs to develop a plan to pull in members' magazines after they have read them for redistribution in doctors' offices, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, airports and other places were people congregate in your communities. This could be done at your monthly meeting. Simply encourage members to bring in their magazines after they have read them and then appoint members to redistribute them. This is a simple and effective public relations tool.

Contact me or CAP PA Deputy Director Julie DeBardelaben at jdebardelaben@cap.gov or 877-227-9142, ext. 250, if you have questions or comments about this update. As always, thank you for your service to the Civil Air Patrol and CAP Public Affairs!

Regards,

Steve


Steve Cox
Public Affairs Manager
CAP National Headquarters
105 S. Hansell St., Bldg. 714
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112

Office: 877-227-9142, ext. 251
Office: 334-953-7748, ext. 251
Cell: 334-296-5881

posted by Ohio Wing PAO  7:22 PM