We all know what it is like to have a cadet at a service academy..... Just a LITTLE bit different than a regular college environment! Some of us have been lucky enough to have either past military experience ourselves or a cadet that had a fairly smooth adjustment period, when entering USAFA. However, some parents do not have such experience, their cadets do not have such a smooth transition and this is a challenging time for the entire family. A very important part of the parents club involves the support of other parents. Though we do have activities that involve the support of cadets directly, the Parents Club is primarily here to support and offer assistance to the parents and family members, of the cadets. Even if you are not having concerns about your cadet, you may have many questions about logistics, events, parking and other USAFA related topics. This is where the knowledge and experience of the upper class parents can be invaluable. The Parents Club is also a great place to make friends! So please all parents, come and join us to make this club a continued success!
Cookie Packing Parties: Four times a year, we schedule a cookie packing at a club member's home. We time them so that cadets will have extra goodies to snack on while studying for their GR's, or to help start the semester with some yummy treats. Each family is asked to bring enough individually wrapped items for 80 cadets, such as granola bars, fruit snacks, poptarts, microwave popcorn -- basically anything your cadet likes to snack on. We spend time packing a goodie box for each of our Arizona members' cadets and usually it is followed by a potluck. This gives the parents time to socialize and get acquainted with one another and sample many delectable recipes! We are a very friendly group and any reason is a great reason to get together and chat about our cadets!
Doolie Dinner: The Doolie Dinner is an annual event held in June, to honor new appointees entering the academy that year. It is hosted by the Arizona Liaison Officers and sponsored by the Arizona Parents Club. An invitation is sent to each appointee and his/her family. The dinner is also attended by club members who are on hand for getting acquainted and answering questions. A guest speaker is invited from the academy and we also try and have upper classmen cadets speak about their experiences at USAFA. The dinner is a well-attended event and enjoyed by all.
Parents Weekend Buffet Supper and Football Game Tickets: The Parents Weekend Buffet Supper is an annual event held on the Friday evening during Parents Weekend in Colorado Springs. During this busy time at the Academy, Colorado Springs restaurants become very crowded and they do NOT take reservations. The traffic also becomes extremely heavy and it can be a very exhausting and challenging situation just to feed your family. So out of necessity, the idea of having an Arizona Buffet Supper was born. After spending the day touring classes with your cadets and walking.... and walking.... and walking all over the USAFA campus at high speed, there is nothing like slowing down and having a nice hot meal and some great company. The atmosphere is very casual, come as you are and stay for the entire event, kick back and get acquainted or just drop by anytime, eat and leave! This dinner is designed for the enjoyment and CONVENIENCE of all Arizona parents and cadets. Our club also sells group-rate tickets to the Saturday football game. The game is mandatory for all cadets, so most families also attend. Purchasing tickets through our club is the easiest and cheapest way for you to procure them.
NASCAR: In Nov, 2006, our club began an adventure with our latest and biggest fundraising event: running a concession stand at NASCAR! Twice a year, over Veteran's Day Weekend in November, and the 2nd weekend in April, NASCAR comes to Phoenix. Our club runs a concession stand selling hamburgers, nachos, hotdogs, pretzels, soda, and lots and lots of beer. In addition to being a lot of fun, it's also a great fundraiser, in Nov 2007, our club earned approximately $10,000. Without those funds, the 2007 All-Academy Holiday Ball which our club hosted, would have been a much more subdued event. This is a very important fundraiser for our club that we hope we can continue for years to come. Every dollar we earn goes to our supporting our cadets. As you can imagine, we need lots of volunteers to run the stand. On our busiest days, we need at least 30 people in the stand at all times. Anyone age 17 and over can help, so recruit your friends, neighbors, anyone willing to help. For this event, we also partner with the AZ West Point Parents Club. They've been wonderful to help us man the concession stand, and in return, they receive a portion of the proceeds.
All-Academies Holiday Ball: This is our biggest event of the year! The Arizona All-Academies Holiday Ball is an annual black tie affair, held at one of our most prestigious local resorts. Just after Christmas, the three largest Academies take turns hosting this event. The West Point Parents Club, Naval Academy Parents Club and Air Force Parents Club work hard to produce a fun-filled evening for all. We also invite our friends from the Merchant Marine Parents Association and the Coast Guard to join us in this celebration, honoring our Arizona cadets and midshipmen. This gala includes wonderful fare, awards presentation, color guard demonstration and plenty of dancing! All Arizona cadets, families, and guests are invited to attend.
BECOMING A MEMBER:
To become a member of the Arizona Parents Club, please contact our Club Secretary and you will be sent the appropriate forms to obtain membership information. So come and join us, you'll be glad you did!
