2,225 Cadets Enrolled This Year Through Air Force-Funded Encampment Assistance Program

    Aug. 2, 2016
    Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Encampment Assistance Program launched last year and enabled cadets to attend wing encampments throughout the nation.
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    MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Encampment Assistance Program, which was launched last year with $490,000 in U.S. Air Force grant money and enabled more than 1,400 cadets to attend wing encampments throughout the nation, has proven even more successful this year.

    The number of CEAP cadets attending encampments in fiscal year 2016 has risen by 60 percent, to 2,225, according to CAP Cadet Programs.

    All cadets requesting grant funding this year to attend their first encampments were approved, as were requests from some repeat participants serving as staff, said Joanna Lee, manager for CAP Cadet Programs’ Education Group.

    “We have found that it’s been really helpful,” Lee said. “Applications were way up.”

    The Air Force’s budget over the next five years includes $500,000 for the cadet grant program. In addition, this year CAP-USAF provided $100,000 for the program.

    The program was revised slightly for 2016 to ensure that all funds went directly to cadet applicants, Lee said, adding, “Now that we know it’s provided for the next couple of years, we’ll keep planning to make it better.”

    In years past, CAP summer encampment attendance has totaled in the 5,000-6,000 range. Last year that figure rose to 7,200.