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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>My wife who is also a CAP member and I both attended the conference in Louisville. We enjoyed it very much. We stayed in a hotel less than a block away and it was less expensive. But with the associated costs, and now my wife is a contractor working for the Army Corp Of Engineers it’s even harder. No work, no pay and vacation time is VERY limited. I’m attending this year’s conference only because I was lucky and got my name pulled for completing the survey from last years and got the conference and banquet for free. The airfare and hotel cost is killing me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>V/R<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>PAUL HERTEL, Lt Col, CAP <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Chief of Staff<br>Public Affairs Officer<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Illinois Wing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>618-416-5180<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org [mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>D Miller<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, July 20, 2014 10:40 AM<br><b>To:</b> CAP Public Affairs Officers<br><b>Subject:</b> [Bulk] Re: [PAO] National Board<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>A few years back, the National Conference was held in Louisville, Kentucky, a smaller city. Was also more centrally located so many members were able to drive.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>What did everyone think about that venue?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>DAVID A. MILLER, Lt Col, CAP<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Deputy Director of Public Affairs, MOWG<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:dtamnet@gmail.com">dtamnet@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Sun, Jul 20, 2014 at 10:24 AM, lockit3 <<a href="mailto:lockit3@att.net" target="_blank">lockit3@att.net</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you Lt. Col. Copenhaver for bringing this subject up.<br><br>The fact of the matter is, that even if these rates are not "terribly out of<br>line" for a conference this size, it is still unaffordable for many of our<br>members, me included. If we pay for the meeting hall and any peripheral<br>rooms needed for the breakout sessions, or whatever we are calling them this<br>conference and the hotel knows it has "X" amount of rooms guaranteed,<br>concessions should be able to be reached on the room rate for members. If<br>the facility will not make such concessions because it is Las Vegas and they<br>will get that rate from someone then let them get it from someone else. We<br>do not have to conference in Las Vegas.<br><br>First of all, it has been my experience that if you have time to go to the<br>activities that are available outside of the conference, you are not<br>attending the conference. My answer that would be take a vacation. While<br>other cities may not have the outside venues, they could handle the size of<br>our event and perhaps for a lesser price. I have concerns about meeting<br>somewhere like Vegas anyway. As concerned as we are about the image of Civil<br>Air Patrol and the image that casts on the Air Force, is this really a good<br>idea.<br><br>If we save on the price of the hall and classrooms, then maybe our fee could<br>at least cover the banquet and everyone could attend. A Spaatz cadet from<br>our Wing is National Cadet of the Year and most of our Wing members will not<br>see him receive the award because we cannot afford the conference let alone<br>an additional fee for a banquet that should be included.<br><br>I did not intend this to sound like a gripe session, but sometimes I think<br>in an effort to look like an organization of high prestige, we forget that<br>our members are volunteers, mostly of middle America. We need to get back to<br>servicing the needs of the members who service the needs of our country.<br><br>With respect,<br><br><br>Curtis "Wayne" Hooks 1st Lt.<br>Civil Air Patrol<br>FLWG Online Newsfeed Manager<br>Group 1 Public Affairs Officer<br>Group 1 Recruitment and Retention Officer<br>Tallahassee Composite Squadron<br>Ser FL-432<br>Public Affairs Officer<br>Recruitment and Retention Officer<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: <a href="mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br>[mailto:<a href="mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org</a>] On Behalf Of Wm and<br>Kandyce Lewis<br>Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 1:31 PM<br>To: 'CAP Public Affairs Officers'<br>Subject: Re: [PAO] National Board<br><br>I have done conferences for our wing and I don't have prices like that. You<br>can get hotels to not charge for the the rooms if you agree to so many rooms<br>being rented by members, and guaranteeing so much in other costs. I know as<br>I have done that in the past. You just keep telling them you need a less<br>amount. I didn't check the cost of the dinner but I thought $70 last year<br>was out of line for our members. And having gone many others must have felt<br>so as well as there were lots of members eating at other places during the<br>banquet as I saw them out and about. I realize we have more guest we may<br>pay for national conferences but it can't be that much more. I suspect less<br>and less members are going to national boards.<br><br>And yes as members get closer to retirement they are looking at those costs.<br><br>Kandyce Lewis, Lt Col.<br>WA Wing Staff<br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: <a href="mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br>[mailto:<a href="mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org</a>] On Behalf Of Doug Barth<br>Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 8:50 AM<br>To: 'CAP Public Affairs Officers'<br>Subject: Re: [PAO] National Board<br><br>I totally agree with Lt Col Copenhaver,<br><br>In particular, as I move toward retirement and have more time to commit to<br>my volunteer activities, I also am very cost sensitive.<br><br>While I understand and encourage the value of face-to-face conferences, I<br>think we should look more extensively into webinar/webex events, both to<br>reduce cost to the membership and to increase the availability of these<br>types of topics across CAP. Or perhaps video tape the presentations and<br>post them to CAP website. I am not aware that we do that.<br><br><br>Major Doug Barth, CAP<br>Group II<br>MDWG<br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: <a href="mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br>[mailto:<a href="mailto:cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao-bounces@lists.sempervigilans.org</a>] On Behalf Of Karen<br>Copenhaver<br>Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 9:44 AM<br>To: <a href="mailto:cap-pao@lists.sempervigilans.org">cap-pao@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br>Subject: [PAO] National Board<br><br>Dear Fellow PAOs,<br><br>As we continue our volunteer commitment to an outstanding organization, we<br>gladly donate our resources to train and participate. Across the years, we<br>have attended conferences for our wing, region and our national board, and<br>the cost has slowly increased, mainly because of the economic posture of the<br>time. However, after reviewing the current cost associated with our national<br>board, personally I am voicing a concern of how many members can afford this<br>astronomical cost. Registration - $205 per person plus room of more than<br>$100+ per night (don't forget tax and tax); (plus the extra days lodging for<br>a total of 5 nights if you stay for the entire event) then if you plan on<br>attending our PAO Academy it is $45, and if you want to attend the FEMA<br>course it is $20, then Incorporating the Medal of Honor Character<br>Development Program into Character Development for $20 and Grant Writing for<br>$10. We can easily add these costs to be exorbitant for many. I've<br>attended many National Board Conferences, but never experienced such fees,<br>and would like to know what the "registration" is suppose to cover, if not<br>the work labs, and associated hand-outs.<br><br>I would like to see a more reasonable cost for our National Board<br>Conferences in the future. We do not necessarily need a place like Las<br>Vegas, Washington or Atlanta, or the like, as we do not have the numbers of<br>attendees to support that type of location as we once did<br>with totals of upward of 2,000+ attendees. We have some locations<br>that could support the size of our event, with less expense to our members,<br>such as Charlotte, NC, and communities of that size across our country.<br>Our overall cost has escalated to a level whereby one must truly set aside<br>additional funds up to more than $1,000 to attend, and that does not include<br>airline tickets, which are escalating too. I don't know how many of you<br>join me in these sentiments, but we need a more economical platform for our<br>national board conferences.<br><br>One other comment, wouldn't it be nice to have a non-military speaker like<br>Bill Cosby to entertain and inspire us to continue our service? As a<br>volunteer organization, who gladly gives and gives so much to our<br>communities and nation, I would hope that an individual like this would not<br>charge, but to have airfare and other related costs (room and meals) to be<br>covered to get him/her to be our speaker.<br><br>Realizing our organizational funds are somewhat limited and reduced greatly<br>across the board, we could certainly reduce our cost by holding our national<br>conference in a less costly location, and it would increase the numbers who<br>can afford to attend. It indeed is a great experience that everyone should<br>have the opportunity to attend. The labs, breakout sessions, or<br>workshops... what ever they are called, are always phenomenal. The<br>opportunity to network with your fellow members and national staff is<br>something that you will always remember as you also establish a contact and<br>many times lasting friendships. If you can.....<br>please attend as it is an experience that you'll want again and again.<br><br>Thank you for your commitment and dedication to one of the best<br>organizations of which you could ever be a part.<br><br>Respectfully,<br>Karen L. Copenhaver, Lt Col, CAP<br>Deputy Director, Public Affairs<br>MER<br><br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Subscribed Email Address: <a href="mailto:barth7394@comcast.net">barth7394@comcast.net</a> CAP-PAO mailing list<br><a href="mailto:CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org">CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao" target="_blank">http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao</a><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Subscribed Email Address: <a href="mailto:bklewis425@msn.com">bklewis425@msn.com</a> CAP-PAO mailing list<br><a href="mailto:CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org">CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao" target="_blank">http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao</a><br>_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>Subscribed Email Address: <a href="mailto:lockit3@att.net">lockit3@att.net</a> CAP-PAO mailing list<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org">CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao" target="_blank">http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao</a><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Subscribed Email Address: <a href="mailto:dtamnet@gmail.com">dtamnet@gmail.com</a><br>CAP-PAO mailing list<br><a href="mailto:CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org">CAP-PAO@lists.sempervigilans.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao" target="_blank">http://lists.sempervigilans.org/mailman/listinfo/cap-pao</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></body></html>