Bad first impressions last a long time. That is what William Robinson tries to instill in every person assigned as a sponsor here.

Sponsors provide those impressions of the base and the arriving member’s unit, said Mr. Robinson, 39th Mission Support Squadron family support center community readiness consultant.

“The last thing we need is for a newcomer to arrive with a bad impression of his or her unit,” he said.

A bad first impression is something one Airman here had to overcome when he and his family were left at the airport.

“I was irritated,” said Tech. Sgt. Evan Schleifer, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 39th Air Base Wing anti-terrorism force protection team. “I let him (sponsor) know when we were coming in and he assured me he would be there. I had his cell phone and home phone numbers but he never answered.”

Fortunately, Sergeant Schleifer had a friend who came to his aid and helped him settle. However, that might not be the case for everyone, especially when they make an overseas move.

When a person goes to a new unit, the unit tasks one of its member to be the newcomer’s sponsor. The sponsor is the “in-the-know” person who can provide up-to-date, honest and straightforward information on a new duty station and the surrounding community. They also provide the newcomer with enough information to assist them in making important decisions.

The first thing a sponsor should do is make contact with the newcomer, Mr. Robinson said.

“That doesn’t mean next week or next month,” he said. “”It means ASAP (as soon as possible),” he said. “If at all possible, make the contact by telephone. To hear a friendly, concerned voice on the other end of a phone line makes a big difference in how (a person perceives) the upcoming move.”

The person can then follow up with an e-mail, he said.

Mr. Robinson said one of newcomer’s biggest complaints is a sponsor who does not contact them or does not provide much pertinent information.

“Every supervisor should be involved in the program and should be on top of how the sponsor is interacting with the newcomer,” Mr. Robinson said. “If the sponsor isn’t doing the job, someone should step in and make sure that individual understands the importance of the assigned duty.”

After initial contact, the sponsor’s job is to stay in touch with the incoming person until they arrive on station and are settled.

“Until the family is settled, the member will not be settled which can distract from mission accomplishment,” Mr. Robinson said.

Sergeant Schleifer said his sponsor did nothing to help him.

“I set up everything, got the sponsor package and mailbox myself, and when I arrived, I had to call a friend to get around,” the sergeant said. “It would have been nice if my sponsor would have showed up to help me out -- as promised.”

Every newcomer is different and with different needs, Mr. Robinson said. But he said being a sponsor should not be a big challenge.

“It should be an interesting and unique opportunity,” he said. “I suppose one of the biggest challenges is when the sponsor is not of the same gender or marital status. Supervisors should look at these elements when assigning sponsors.

Good sponsors remember how it was arriving at a new base with lots of questions on their minds, Mr. Robinson said.

“The old adage about treating someone in the same manner as you would like to be treated is still true – provide good, honest information,” he said. “Be there when the need arises. And step away when you are not needed.”

(Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)