Aerospace Education Memberships

We just sponsored an AEM as part of our external outreach and recruiting efforts.  A local teacher accepted
the invitation and we're now hand-holding her receiving the resources she ordered and working on scheduling
a TOPS flight.  We have pending invitations at other local schools, and found the invitations were generally well received.

With that said, and in keeping with CAP tradition, I was somewhat disappointed to see that AEMs get attached to
NHQ-004, not the local unit signing them up.  There appears to be zero connectivity between the local squadron and the membership
whatsoever.  In fact, those questions aren't even on the abbreviated application.

Neither the unit, the respective wing, nor the member get any sort of "credit" for the new connection.

So in terms of our goals and plans, "Yay us!", but like so many other situations, it doesn't feel like a "win" in the way we'd hoped.

Like so many other things; it would be nice IF....

Your AEO will get "credit" for it when applying for a MASTER in AE.

Also, depending on how your Plan Of Action is written, you may have a goal of recruiting AEM's and providing TOP flights.

By the way - good for you!

Yeeaah, on both points above, though the former will be well down the road from my involvement, so I'll need to make
sure the substantiation stays in his file, and the latter fulfills areas of our plan, which was the actual point to begin with, it just took
the wind out of the sails a bit when I saw that she would not be connected with us or wing.

We have to retain records for people who have quit for 5 years, and terminating a Patron who never shows requires a
writ of "ad infinitum mensa et thoro ad valorem with animus revertendi" but someone you'd actually want on the roster
never hits it.

When I help get folks in the community involved, I personally don't give a flip whether Hdqs even knows or gives our Squadron 'credit' somewhere. Getting kids involved and interested in CAP and aviation are rewards enough. The local community is getting to know us (our Squadron) more than before. A good thing.

YMMV and most likely will. JMHOs. 

When I help get folks in the community involved, I personally don't give a flip whether Hdqs even knows or gives our Squadron 'credit' somewhere.

That's very altruistic of you.

How many AEMs have you signed up that your unit paid for?

I get that this isn't Checkers, it's Chess, and for the greater good, etc., we get exposure, my kids' school gets access to resources
they wouldn't otherwise, the wing will get a couple of hours on an airframe, and we fulfilled some of our POA, all wins, it's just a
typically CAP situation that the final lap brings with it a sense of "seriously?".

It like a bad cup of coffee after an excellent meal.