August 2024 – Monthly Status Report
STARFLEET Petfleet MSR August 2024
Our Command Staff
Director, FCAPT Randy Mitson – R13 USS Renaissance
Executive Deputy Director, CAPT Matthew Doucet – R13 USS Renaissance
Deputy Director of Operations, CAPT Mary Demiter – R5 USS Antares
Yeoman, CDT1 Aurelie Doucet – R13 USS Renaissance
Member Services, LT Jessica Sommer – R10 USS Cerberus
Member Services, FCAPT Jess Odell – R20 USS Caroline
Operations/Liaisons: LCDR Arlene Henriques – R5 USS Antares
Newsletter Producer, CAPT Matthew Doucet – R13 USS Renaissance
Newsletter Staff, LCDR Arlene Henriques – R5 USS Antares
Newsletter Staff, CMDR Ronel Du Preez – R8 USS Dauntless
Consultant, RADM James Cecil – R1 USS CommonWealth
Consultant, CAPT Frances Smith – R2 USS Neptune
In August, STARFLEET Petfleet saw some significant changes and exciting updates. Arlene Henriques’s role has been refocused to emphasize Operations, where she will work closely with our regional Liaisons, nurture the Mascot Program, and contribute to the production of our newsletter articles. On August 1st, we published our 3rd quarter newsletter for 2024, packed with engaging content, including the announcement of the SFPet Staff Order of Merit Awards, updates to our Petfleet Liaison and Mascot Programs, and a feature on Livingston, Captain Picard’s Lionfish. We also recognized Maleficent with the quarterly Petfleet Service Award and introduced new STARFLEET Academy courses on Crustaceans. Additionally, our August photo contest honoured pets who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and we added an impressive 59 new members to the Petfleet, ranging from cats and dogs to more exotic entries like Cheetahs and Targs. Our members and staff also actively participated in this year’s Virtual International Conference, where we hosted a live discussion about our Photo Contest and announced the winners. August was truly a busy and productive month for STARFLEET Petfleet, with plenty of activities to engage and entertain our members!
Arlene’s new role in Operations
Let’s all congratulate Arlene Henriques on her new role within STARFLEET Petfleet! Arlene will be taking on several important responsibilities that will greatly enhance our operations, communications, and member engagement. Here’s a summary of her new duties:
Liaison Management
Arlene will develop and manage the STARFLEET Petfleet Liaison program, recruiting and supporting active Liaisons from each region. She’ll ensure regular communication, gather regional updates, and produce both monthly and quarterly reports for the SFPet Newsletter. STARFLEET Auxiliaries & Mascot Program In collaboration with auxiliaries, Arlene will share key SFPet activities, develop and maintain records of group mascots, and promote the use of mascots to unify groups and enhance engagement with SFPet.
STARFLEET Petfleet Social Media
Arlene will actively manage the STARFLEET Petfleet Facebook Group Page and Discord Channel, posting reminders and events, celebrating pet-related national days, and ensuring all activities are shared on the STARFLEET Members Hub Events Calendar.
STARFLEET Petfleet Newsletter
Arlene will contribute engaging content to the newsletter, including articles, Liaison reports, Mascot updates, and feature stories that highlight the connection between SFPet and other auxiliaries. Newsletter production will return to our Executive Deputy Director, CAP Matthew
Doucet.
Facebook Rules Update
We are dedicated to fostering a positive and safe environment for all members of the STARFLEET Petfleet Facebook group. To address recent concerns and preserve the integrity of our community, we have updated our group rules. Alongside our existing prohibition on hate speech and bullying, we have introduced a new rule: “Any content promoting violence, warfare, or real-world weapons is strictly prohibited. Such content will be removed, and the member responsible may face permanent removal from the group.” This rule clearly defines boundaries to ensure our group remains a safe and welcoming space for everyone. Additionally, we have implemented a rule for content from external entities, including STARFLEET auxiliaries: “All content from external entities must be processed through our designated chat group before being posted to the Petfleet group.” This ensures that all
posts align with our community guidelines and maintain the quality and relevance of our main group discussions. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain these standards and for being an integral part of the STARFLEET Petfleet community.
VIC “Best In Class” Photo Contest
We announced our winners at the STARFLEET Virtual International Conference for our “Best in Class” VIC Photo Contest for July 2024.
BEST DOG: Giles Eaton
Honourable Mention: Connie Constance Ruth Fleming & Heather Bridson
BEST CAT: JL Livingston
Honourable Mentions: Erin Poole & Michael Trujillo
BEST OTHER: Janet Livingston
Honourable Mentions: Janet Livingston & Erin Poole
BEST FANTASY: Arlene Henriques
Honourable Mention: Eilidh Douglas Montgomery & Catherine Irene Weeks
BEST FINAL MISSION: Larry Larry D French Sr
Honourable Mentions: Connie Constance Ruth Fleming & Janet Livingston
DIRECTOR’S PICK: Perry Fedun
STARFLEET Petfleet Website
We’ve talked a lot about working on the Petfleet website, focusing mostly on creating content. This involved researching old archives and Quarterly Communications to help us write the website’s content. The SFPet team has written content for over 30 pages, and I’m happy to announce that we’ve started building these pages behind the scenes.
With all this content, I’m confident that our new website will have everything you’re looking
for from Petfleet. You’ll be able to find our Handbook and Newsletter, information about our staff and suggested SFPet Ranks, and all our registration, final mission, and other forms will be available online. We’ll also publish all our events and activities, including the current and past Academy Challenge, Pet Walking Challenge, Photo Contests, and other events. We’ll have Walls of Honour featuring SFPet Awards and achievements, and of course, we’ll showcase photos of your pets that you’ve shared with us. Stay tuned—it’s still a bit out (before the end of the year) as we’ve only created a couple of pages so far, but we’re making good progress.
If you have any suggestions for our STARFLEET Petfleet website, please send them to petfleet@sfi.org. We’re currently gathering a list of Frequently Asked Questions to include on our FAQ page, but we’re open to other suggestions too. Here’s a sneak peek at what the new website will include:
