Civil Air Patrol North Tampa- Lutz Cadet Squadron: Volunteer Service During COVID 19 By Tori Jenkins

On March 14th, 2020 National Headquarters for Civil Air Patrol (CAP) sent out a memorandum

for all unit commanders stating that all in-person CAP activities will be suspended until June 30th, 2020.

During this time of the COVID-19 restrictions, the North Tampa-Lutz Cadet Squadron has been

holding virtual meetings weekly, as well as sending out weekly email assignments to keep the

cadets engaged and learning. The most recent virtual meeting included a game of Kahoot, an

online game where you compete against each other by answering questions, the most correct,

and the fastest win. Each week there is a different topic for discussion, some of the topics

included are: safety, how to continue moving forward to earning new achievements, character

development, and community service.

While the squadron itself has not been able to participate in any community service activities

due to the recent events, some of the members have.

One cadet from the North Tampa Lutz Cadet Squadron, Cadet Airman Jo-Siah Moffatt, helped

clean up a local park, he went and picked up all the litter that was in a park near his house to

help keep the environment clean and healthy. While two other members, Cadet First Lieutenant

Olivia Jenkins and Flight Officer Tori Jenkins, spent 10 hours helping to sort and package meals

for families in need. Flight Officer Jenkins has also been delivering groceries to an elderly

woman who is too afraid to go to the store right now. While Cadet Reece Kennaugh helped to

clean up some nature trails in the area before they were reopened. She picked up trash and

trimmed branches that have grown to block some of the paths. Cadet Senior Airman Sarah

Hillery participated in a “parade” to say hello and thank you to a veteran who has just returned

from being overseas. Colonel Linda Trimpey has been donating to a local church and food bank

during this time of need as well.

While these circumstances have not been ideal, The North Tampa - Lutz Cadet Squadron has

persevered and continued to step up and serve the community, state and nation.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s

Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 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 more than 80 lives annually. CAP’s more than 65,000

members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of

federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education,

and its members serve as mentors to nearly 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs.

Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.