Langley Civic Leaders Association (LCLA) is a not-for-profit organization composed of volunteer community leaders who seek to promote the enhancement and improvement of the facilities and assets of Langley Air Force Base (LAFB) and its occupants. Civic leaders are invited to join according to skills and contacts they can bring. They meet six times a year and sponsor various projects. There are currently 40 members on the board, with a maximum of 50.
According to its website, LCLA’s mission is to educate the community, with respect to the needs of LAFB and its tenant units, Hampton, the Department of the Air Force and Air Combat Command; promote the morale, welfare and education of the personnel attached to LAFB and their families; promote and enhance a mutually beneficial relationship between the community and LAFB; and promote the enhancement of the facilities and assets of LAFB and its tenant units.
Existing board members reach out to individuals who might be interested and are “the right fit.” They are not active members of the Air Force, though they may be retired from the Air Force or have served in the past. Bruce Sturk, president of the LCLA board, says, “In the early 1990s, the Langley Air Force Base installation commander approached a group of community leaders and asked if they would be interested in forming an organization to support airmen and families assigned to their base.” Sturk is director of Federal Facilities Support for the City of Hampton.
There is an Adopt-an-Airman program which pairs an airman in his first enlistment at Fort Eustis/Langley Air Force Base with a family who can provide a home-away-from-home experience. It’s an opportunity to make a difference in a young man’s life. Fifty new airmen are matched every month according to similar interests.
“Welcome Bags” are given to first-time airmen stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. They contain sundries, including snacks, toiletries and coupons. Approximately 750 bags have been distributed. Other events include the Air Force Birthday Ball and support for the Air Show.
LCLA has a 501(c)(4) designation because its purpose is to promote social welfare. Such organizations are devoted to the common good and general welfare of the community. “It is in the economic interest of this whole area for LAFB to be successful,” says Nhu Yeargin, vice president of programs. Yeargin holds the administrator position at YLS Inc., a Class A landscape contractor.
Board members are spokespeople for the value of the military community. Everyone can agree that the base is critical for the economy of the Hampton Roads region and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Keeping the base open serves everyone’s needs. Members of LCLA seek to enhance the quality of life for men and women in the Air Force and improve communications.
LCLA addresses legislative support to benefit service-members and their families, provides programs that help transitioning military and federal employees to find local jobs and develops methods through which both military and civilians work cooperatively in meeting shared objectives.
TO THE POINT:
Langley Civic Leaders Association
Contact: Bruce Sturk, president
Website: www.langleycivicleaders.org
Email: bsturk@hampton.gov
