A delegation from Civil Air Patrol will ring the opening bell Friday at the New York Stock Exchange.
Led by CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr, a group of about 20 CAP representatives, including cadets, will be on the stock exchange podium at 9:30 a.m. EST to officially start trading.
The opening bell ceremony provides a platform to generate international exposure for CAP, which provides emergency services – like search and rescue for downed planes and missing people and disaster relief to communities throughout the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, CAP officials noted. In addition, CAP’s cadet program provides young people between the ages of 12 and 21 a program of leadership, aerospace education, physical fitness and moral and ethical decision-making. While educating its own members, CAP’s adult leaders also provide training and resources to teachers who reach out to students of all ages across the country.
CAP’s bell-ringing ceremony will be featured on the NYSE Euronext website and on television networks such as CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Fox Business News, reaching millions of viewers worldwide.
“We are excited about this unique opportunity,” said Carr, who will ring the opening bell with former CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter. “I know Gen. Courter has been working for at least two years now to secure this invitation, and we are delighted to get this chance to tell more about our world-class public service organization, which has been performing missions for America for more than 70 years.
Courter, as board president of the International Air Cadet Exchange, will be representing that association, a 20-nation consortium that provides annual air cadet exchanges involving more than 500 young people worldwide, including CAP cadets.
Other CAP dignitaries on the podium Friday will include National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Joe Vazquez, New York Wing Commander Col. Jack Ozer and Chief Operating Officer Don Rowland.
CAP, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.
