|
||
|
last modified: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 |
||
|
original release date:
1/26/05 |
||
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
||
|
Civil Air Patrol leaders coming to Maxwell for command training |
||
| MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — Senior leaders for the all-volunteer Civil Air Patrol will be in Montgomery next week for an intense graduate-level training course covering the many facets of managing a volunteer organization. CAP leaders from throughout the nation are attending the Commanders Course at CAP National Headquarters, located at Maxwell AFB, Ala. The course, designed by headquarters staff, focuses on strategic planning, leadership and management skills, financial responsibility and teamwork. Those attending are working toward higher leadership positions in the organization. This week’s coursework will conclude with graduation on Friday, Feb. 4. Attendees will participate in more than 30 sessions during the week, as well as special interest seminars. Among other offerings, they will have their Myers-Briggs personality profiles defined, learn about the working relationship between Civil Air Patrol and other Federal and state agencies, and discuss the latest in non-profit fundraising techniques. Featured speakers this year include Mr. Bruce Baughman, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, who will discuss CAP’s work with state and federal agencies responding to disasters. Also speaking will be Col. Amy Courter, CAP, former Michigan Wing commander, and currently vice president of information technology for Valassis, Inc., which was voted one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2005). Courter will discuss the challenges facing CAP commanders who must juggle the responsibilities of their professional lives with their volunteer responsibilities as members of the CAP National Board. Also speaking will be local news anchor Chris Holmes of WSFA-TV, about media relations and techniques for giving an effective on-camera interview. Working with media is especially important to CAP commanders, since CAP is often involved in high-profile search and rescue and disaster relief missions which draw media attention. All CAP members are volunteers, and committed members like those at this week’s school often sacrifice family and work time to attend training such as the Commanders Course. “The Region and Wing Commanders Course is one of our most important programs,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight H. Wheless, CAP’s national commander, who will be on hand for the event. “It’s a mini-management school on a very fast track. Once they finish this course, these commanders have a very realistic idea of the responsibilities, challenges, and rewards of leadership in CAP. The course designers and instructors in Montgomery go to great lengths to produce a top-quality program. This is a great opportunity for our volunteers to receive up-to-date professional training that can also serve them in their careers outside CAP.” Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with almost 60,000 members nationwide. It performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years. |
||
|
-30- |
||
|
Media Inquiries: |
||
|
|
MEDIA RELEASE