Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association

Community Relations

Contacts

Board Liasion: Amanda Molina community-relations@hotairballooning.org

Newsletter Editor: Pat Chando editor@hotairballooning.org
Webmanager: Johnstone Designs webmanager@hotairballooning.org

AAAA Community Relations Mission

To promote the sport of hot air ballooning by fostering good will between Balloonists and the Community-at-large.

This mission can be realized through education, community contributions and enhanced communications between the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association, its membership, and the general public.

We welcome your feedback, as we want to represent our members well in whatever we do.

Activities

AAAA provides numerous activities for the community. They include any of the following.

Hot Air Balloon presentations at schools, community seminars, service club meetings and other public gatherings.
Direct involvement in community events, including static displays, tethers, balloon glows, and free flights.
Inclusion of charitable organizations in AAAA Flying Events.
Establishment of liaisons and partnerships with civic organizations.
Donations of balloon ride certificates for community fund raisers and other non-profit activities.
Media coverage of ballooning events and charitable contributions by balloonists.
Informational exhibits at public gatherings, including distribution of AAAA publications and related ballooning materials.
Monitoring of the AAAA Hot Air Ballooning telephone line, and response to caller inquiries for information and other requests
Creation of a Speakers Bureau to advance awareness among local groups.
Education of balloonists about the rights of landowners and residents, to encourage positive behavior by, and minimize negative attitudes toward, balloonists.
Expansion of the landowner/resident appreciation program to include pilots and crews, to recognize and reward teams for proactive encounters with landowners and residents.
Intervention in balloonist-landowner disputes, to effect a positive outcome.
Collaboration with other AAAA committees to encourage inclusion of community relations issues in their functions.

A Quad A Exhibit table, including printed materials, table & basket banners is available for use at flying events and other public gatherings as an informational display for visitors.

AAAA Ballooning Information Line

(505) 263-0222
Service provided by Verizon Cellular

Have problems with a pilot or crew?
Need a volunteer balloon for an event?
If you are a landowner or balloonist with information or questions about a particular piece of land, please call the info line.

AAAA Ride Donations

An important element of the AAAA Community Relations program is the donation of balloon rides to worthy community organizations. If you would like to donate a ride, contact the Chairperson.

If you would like to have a balloon at your event, please contact the AAAA Community Relations Committee

Ride Donation Policy

AAAA-sponsored ride donations shall be provided only for non-profit, charitable organizations. Civic and community-related events will also be considered.
AAAA will not sponsor rides for organizations seeking fund-raising opportunities for non-charitable activities.
The AAAA Community Relations Committee shall judge if requests meet the non-profit, charitable organization eligibility standard.
In the event that requests for ride donations exceed AAAA?s ability to fulfill them, the Community Relations Committee shall determine the priorities for ride donations
This donation policy only applies to ride donations sponsored by AAAA. Individual AAAA members are encouraged to donate rides to any organization of their choosing, including those that are not eligible for AAAA sponsored donations.

Landowner/Resident Appreciation Program

The landowner relations program includes balloon pins to all respondents, along with a follow up thank you letter and club brochure. Recognizing that crews often assume primary responsibility for good landowner relations, we will have drawings for gifts for balloon teams, as well as the landowners themselves.

The Committee will distribute landowner cards at flying event registration, in new member packets, and at AAAA meetings. Cards will be stamped ?Free Balloon Pin? to encourage landowner/resident response.

Qualifications

Must be a fun or competitive flight. Commercial pilots and ride operators are eligible; however, commercial flights are not.
Must be distributed within the greater Albuquerque area, to promote good will within the local community and among the landowners and residents over whose property we often fly.
Qualifying flight must end on landowner/resident property. Neighbors and spectators in the vicinity are ineligible.

Process
Landowners/Residents who return the postcard will receive a Memories balloon pin, an AAAA brochure, and a thank you note from the club. They will be entered in a drawing for a nice prize on an annual or semi-annual basis, depending on the rate of response.

Participating pilots whose landowner/resident contacts submit the cards will also be entered into a drawing for prizes. Since balloon crews are often key in establishing good landowner relations, the Committee will provide prizes for a separate crew drawing, as well.

We are pleased to support this program as an incentive for good landowner/resident relations and a reward for your participation.

Prohibited Zones

Probhibited Zones (PZ's) must be considered at all times.

Cloudbouncer Newsletter

This membership publication is sent out monthly to current members. Deadline for submission is the Friday after each general meeting.

Website & Facebook

This is our primary means for outreach to the community. Information on both of these sites is available to members and non-members alike.

AAAA