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Dear Parents,                                                       October 2004                                    

At this time of year, we offer each parent the opportunity to contribute financially to the Great Lakes Parents’ Association – both through annual dues and through a once-a-year fundraiser.  The forms, shown on our web site, provide details on how to contribute.  Apart from minor overhead expenses, the majority of funds support our cadets directly.  A “you-survived-swab-summer cake” will soon be sent to our 4/c cadets.  Graduation gifts are purchased for those graduating in the spring.  Our Great Lakes Parents’ Association also provides contributions to the Academy as needs arise...among past contributions:  a copy machine, a sports club financial need, and liberty van expenses. 

 In addition to your financial support, we hope you can join us at our parent meetings in Illinois and Michigan throughout the year.  We enjoy these meetings...getting to know each other, hearing the latest from Coast Guard representatives, and sharing about our cadets and their experiences and concerns.  Since Great Lake members are scattered over several states, please feel free at any time to contact our officers by email with questions or concerns you may have.  Our officer contact information is available at www.glpa.org.

 Please take note of the upcoming events: 

• Next GLPA parents’ meeting – 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 6, 2004, at the Burr Ridge, IL MSO Office.  Directions at www.glpa.org

• Northern Illinois All-Academy Ball – December 26, 2004 – Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oakbrook, IL.  This is really a highlight for each cadet and his/her family.  Each military academy is represented, colors are presented by a 4/c representative from each academy, POW/MIA honors are given in a moving ceremony, toasts are presented followed by a superb dinner, and then...dancing into the night.  The Coast Guard Academy and Merchant Marine Academy are hosting the ball this year.  Please be a part of this very memorable occasion.  Watch our web site for details!
  
• We are always looking for photos and updated information on your cadet for our GLPA web site.  Whether your cadet is currently at the Academy or has already graduated, please send any information to our webmaster at www.glpa.org.

• Other important Academy links may be found at  www.uscgaparents.org.

Thank you very much for supporting and encouraging our cadets. 

Semper supportive,

Chris and Karen Starr
Fundraising/Support Committees
Great Lakes Parents’ Association

Great Lakes Parents’ Association  
DUES FORM 
(Cut and Paste into your word processor if you wish to make a copy)
For membership from September 1, 2005 to August 31, 2006 

My/Our Cadet/Officer is: 

Name  _______________________________________________    Class of _____________          
(Son/Daughter)

Father:
First name  ____________________________       Last name  ________________________

Street Address  _______________________________________________________________

City  ______________________________________  State  __________  Zip  ____________ 

Telephone  (_____)____________________________________________________________              
                   (Area code) 
E-mail address:  ______________________________________________________________

Mother:
First name  ______________________________   Last name_________________________

Street Address         (same as above)       or  ______________________________________

City  ____________________________________  State  __________  Zip  ______________

Telephone  (_____)_____________________________________________________________            
                    (Area code)
E-mail address:  _______________________________________________________________ 

For your convenience, you may choose to remit dues for more than one year.   Annual dues are $15.00.  Please indicate below. 

We enclose our check in the amount of $__________ for _____ year(s) of membership. 

Please make your check payable to:  USCGA Parents’ Association-Great Lakes Chapter 

For Treasurer Use:
Check #__________________   Amount ___________________   Date_________________

  October 2005

U. S. Coast Guard Academy

                 Great Lakes

                Parents' Association

2005 – 2006 Great Lakes Chapter Annual Fundraiser

The Great Lakes Chapter is a non-profit organization that exists for the sole purpose of supporting the United States Coast Guard Academy and its Corps of Cadets.  The annual fundraiser allows us to address the needs of the cadets that are not met by the Academy budget.  The 2004-05 fundraiser totaled $1,650.  Through this and previous fundraisers, we contributed $1,000.00 and $1,500.00 this year, to be used respectively for the transportation fund and the Academy’s cable bill.  We do make a difference! 

The Coast Guard’s goal of protecting our coasts and waterways is a unique one – our cadets have demonstrated over and over the tenacity to pursue that goal.  Their sense of teamwork is central to their success.  Please join us in supporting our Corps of Cadets at the Academy so they can better face the challenges yet to come.  We as parents are vitally important to this Coast Guard team, this family of ours. 

We appreciate your generosity in supporting our cadets through our annual fundraiser. 

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Make checks payable to:  USCGA Parents Assoc. Great Lakes Chapter 

Name:          _____________________________________      Mail to: Chris Starr

Address:      _____________________________________                     28W689 Warrenville Rd.

                     _____________________________________                     Warrenville, IL  60555

Telephone:  (_____)_______________________________                  

Email Address:  _________________________________

     $1000                                $500                              $100                             $75

 


  Gold Eagle                    Silver Eagle                       Eagle                          Cutter

Founder’s Club            Founder’s Club                Club Circle

    $50                                     $25                             $_______

 Life Boat                            Rescue Boat                          Other

This notice was originally for Incoming '08 "SWABS":

"The Chesapeake & Potomac Chapter Parents Association and the Delaware Valley Chapter are co-hosting the annual "R"-Day Reception. 

It will be held at Connecticut College (across from the Coast Guard Academy)  in their 1962 Room in the Crozier Williams Building, Sunday evening,  June 27, 2004 from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm.  All cadets who will be in the class of 2008 and their families are invited."

If this activity is offered for future incoming classes, while not required, most would classify this is as a "do not miss" activity.

 This is a great way for new cadets to meet others who will be in their summer platoons prior to reporting in. A familiar face can make reporting in day easier.  

AS OF FEBRUARY 21, 2004: 

NEW OFFICERS 

President:                Sally & Jim Judycki    jjudycki@amfam.com

Vice President:        Peggy Martin              peggycpa@wideopenwest.com

Secretary:                 Martha Rodziewicz    rmrodiewicz@comcast.net 

Committees:     

                        Fund Raising                             Chris Starr                    starrtrek@hotmail.com
                        Picnic and All Academy Ball:     Renee & Jim Jasnoch    duffiegirl@comcast.net
                        Newsletter                                Karen Starr                   starrtrek@hotmail.com
                        Website                                    Alan Blount & Ed Sloan bfa83@mindspring.com and esj@wans.net

              Communications Alert !
“WANTED”  e-mail addresses for the following members of the Great Lakes Parent’s Association:

Judith Alberts                                     Wayne/Janice Helge
Tim/Doris Berube                                Jim Jantzen
Ronald/Joan Budovec                          Dan Panter
Edward/Linda Cepa                             Marvin/Jane Ratner
Dennis/Barbara Dawson                      Steven Reuter
Henry/Sarah Dinkelmann                     Greg/Nancy Schmidt
Howard/Barbara Edwards                    Michael Shallow
Hal/Beth Faulkner                               David/Kathy Sporer
Garry/Gail Grabins                              William Wachowiak
Katherine Hansen                               Don Welch  
Please send your updated e-mail address to Scott/Deb Bates, Co-President’s, at scott.n.deb@att.net or Beth Stein, Newsletter, at kgbstein@ytci.com .

NEW AT THE ACADEMY: 

September 2003:     Word is that with the beginning of classes the swabs can actually look at their food while they eat! (They still are required to brace up, however.) There has also been some tightening up of honor issues.  

COAST GUARD AUXILIARY:

Do you have an interest in joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary? Below is an excerpt from www.cgaux.org.  Contact the webmaster for more information. Of special interest to parents of potential future cadets is the Coast Guard Auxiliary's Academy Introduction Mission (AIM).  The deadline for AIM applications is April 15th, 2005.  Applications will be accepted after January 1st, 2005. This is a program only for High School juniors. If accepted, they would experience a week at the Coast Guard Academy during the summer (July in the 2005 year).  For more information about AIM or the Coast Guard Auxiliary please send an e-mail to the webmaster. Contact us. 

What is the Coast Guard Auxiliary?

• Since its creation by Congress in 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has served as the civilian, non-military component of the Coast Guard. Today, the 33,000 volunteer men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary are active on the waterways and classrooms in over 2,000 cities and towns across the nation. Each year, Auxiliarists (folks just like you) save almost 500 lives, assist some 15,000 boaters in distress, conduct more than 150,000 courtesy safety examinations of recreational vessels, and teach over 500,000 students in boating and water safety courses. The results of these efforts save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

Why join the Auxiliary?

• BE PART OF THE ACTION & HELP SAVE LIVES -- Since the recreational boating population in the United States is growing rapidly, the Coast Guard Auxiliary needs a few good men and women like you. As an Auxiliarist, you will have the opportunity to select and participate in one or more of the Auxiliary's major programs. If you feel strongly about the rewards you can get from serving your community, the Coast Guard Auxiliary is the right place for you! Either through on- water Operations, the Auxiliary's Public Education Program, Courtesy Examination Program, Radio Watchstander, Coast Guard Recruiting, Marine Environmental Protection or Coast Guard Administration.
  
  
• INCREASE YOUR SKILLS -- The Auxiliary and the Coast Guard provide specialized training on all aspects of boating, as well as leadership and administration. Auxiliarists receive valuable training in seamanship and related skills, and enjoy the sense of confidence of knowing that they are better and safer boaters.
  
  
• SUPPORT THE COAST GUARD -- Auxiliarists provide direct operational and administrative support to many local Coast Guard units. You can wear the Coast Guard Auxiliary uniform and become part of Team Coast Guard. When you qualify through training, you can take part in Search and Rescue operations, stand radio watch at the Coast Guard Station, work with the Marine Safety Office on pollution matters or work in the Recruiting Office.
  
  
• SERVICE TO YOUR COMMUNITY-- Auxiliarists aren't paid with money, but with satisfaction. We furnish and maintain our own equipment and can choose to participate at a level tailored to our individual capabilities. We provide boating safety classes for youth and adults and examine recreational vessel for safety equipment to ensure that our neighbors will be safe on the waterways.
  
  

• ENJOY FUN AND FELLOWSHIP -- In all activities, enjoy fellowship -- the good company of other Auxiliarists at meetings and training sessions, on patrols and other missions, and at ceremonies and social events. One of he Auxiliary's trademarks is good old-fashioned hospitality. Friends, neighbors and interested members of the public are always welcome to attend one of our flotilla meetings. In addition, dedication to boating safety provides the atmosphere for getting together to swap boating experiences and participate in cruises and rendezvous. You'll find a special camaraderie among Auxiliarists that's hard to beat. There's time to relax and have fun at Auxiliary outings, training sessions, patrols, CMEs, classes, and conferences. Auxiliarists make lasting, meaningful friendships. Knowing that you belong to a special group of people and directly participate in helping save lives gives your Auxiliary membership a special meaning.
  
  

=  September 15, 2002. Many of us have just returned from Parent's Weekend. It was beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday. Base security was relaxed the day before so it was possible to enter and park at the base and  The CGA Bears won their football game 27 - 0 in spite of many penalties and a light hearted inter-service rivalry "spirit mission" on the football field by some Air Force exchange cadets.. As always it was great to see our cadets.  The familiar mix of sadness from missing them and intense pride has returned with the weekend's passing.

=    On July 18th, 2002 CGC Macinaw was in port at Chicago's Navy Pier for a short cruise. Invited on the cruise were the AIM cadets who were scheduled to report to the Academy on the following Saturday. Our region sent 10 cadets to this year's AIM week. Four cadets and their parents attended the cruise. All had a very enjoyable time. Among those in attendance were Jay Crissey, CG Auxiliary and Alan Blount as a CGA cadet parent. The AIM program is designed to offer high school juniors a taste of CG Academy life during their junior / senior summer for a week of introduction at the Academy. The program is administered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. If you know of a possible candidate for this program (good grades, athletic and interest in attending the Academy) please pass along the name and contact information to the webmaster. The Coast Guard Auxiliary will contact the individual and send materials about the program. 

=    During October '01 an Illinois 3rd Class cadet was surprised in his room by an impromptu visit by Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Loy, a Rear Admiral, a Lt. Commander from the Academy and a government official. It seems that they were touring Chase Hall to inspect the new furniture that had recently been installed in the rooms. Imagine this cadet's surprise to see this entourage arriving at his door unannounced! Reportedly, the cadet found Admiral Loy to be inspiring. (There was also, undoubtedly, a slight elevation in this cadet's adrenaline level.)

=    A number of cadets in the aviation club have been offered ground school and flight training.  The training is being offered by flight instructors who are members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. 

=    Many functions of the Academy are performed by the Corp of Cadets. Each company has assigned roles of responsibility. Below is a partial summary: 

POW / MIA Table

After the color guard presentations and toasts to the academies and before dinner there was a lone table set to honor our country's POWs and MIAs. The table remained throughout the dinner hour. The following was read as a very moving tribute to those who are lost.

Those who have served, and those currently serving in the uniformed services of the United States, are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured and may still be enduring the agonies of pain, deprivation and imprisonment. 

Before we begin our activities, we pause to recognize our Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action. We call your attention to this small table which occupies a place of dignity and honor. It is set for one symbolizing the fact that members of our armed forces are missing from our ranks.

They are referred to as POW's and MIA's.

We call them comrades. They are unable to be with their loved ones and families, so we join together to pay humble tribute to them, and to bear witness to their continued absence. 

The table is small, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner, alone against his or her suppressors.

The table cloth is white, symbolic of the purity of their intentions to respond to their country's call to arms.

The single rose in the vase, signifies the blood they may have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of our beloved United States of America. This rose also reminds us of the family and friends of our missing comrades who keep faith, while awaiting their return. 

The red ribbon on the vase represents the red ribbon worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand, with unyielding determination, a proper account of our comrades who are not among us. 

A slice of lemon on the plate reminds us of their bitter fate.

The salt sprinkled on the plate reminds us of the countless fallen tears of families as they wait. 

The glass is inverted, they can not toast with us at this time.

The chair is empty. They are not here. The candle is reminiscent of the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of a grateful nation. 

The American flag reminds us that many of them may never return - and have paid the supreme sacrifice to insure our freedom. Let us pray in the Supreme Commander that all of our comrades will soon be back within our ranks. Let us remember - and never forget their sacrifice. May God watch over them and protect them and their families.

The webmaster wishes to thank Lynda and Dave Haley of the Golden Gate CGA Parent's Association for help in some aspects of the creation of this website. They have been helpful in giving advice, "loaning" of some graphics and manipulation of photos so that they load more quickly on our site.