Air cadets attract good turnout

Rainy Lake Air Cadet Squadron #908 may be cleared for take-off soon as it hovers around the number of participants needed to start the program.
More than 40 people showed up Wednesday night for registration at the Memorial Sports Centre. The group needs just 30 youths to join to start up here.
“We registered 25 kids altogether and apparently there are four who contacted us and wanted to join,” Arend Visser, director of the Air Cadet League of Northwestern Ontario, said Thursday morning.
“We had children call the night before. On little girl said, ‘Can I register tonight. I’m afraid there won’t be any room tomorrow,’” he added.
A parents’ council has been working for months—some for years—to bring air cadets to this area. The program is free of charge and open to local youth aged 12-18.
Visser still needs a couple more kids to join up before weekly meetings, slated for Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., can begin.
The next step will be to take air cadets promotional tape and materials to local schools and talk to even more kids who might be interested in joining.
Visser plans to drop off materials at J.W. Walker, Robert Moore, St. Francis, and Crossroads schools.
In the meantime, he’s pleased by the response so far.
“I feel that I was quite amazed at the large turnout and quite gratified that there was so much interest in the air cadets,” Visser said. “I think it’s wonderful way of promoting the interests of youth in the community, as well.”