SAAM closes with new event Published April 22, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Shelby Kay-Fantozzi 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Sexual Assault Awareness Month has brought familiar programming and new events for Air Commandos, but the peak of this month’s SAAM events will be Cannon’s inaugural Letters to Survivors Luncheon slated for April 29. “We have already hosted a couple of things this month; our 5K walk/run and Strike Out Sexual Assault bowling tournament had great turnouts, but this luncheon is the piece I am really excited about,” said Jean Masters, 27th Special Operations Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. Each event is an important reminder to Cannon’s Air Commandos, Masters said. The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office is always available to anyone in need of help. “Things like our Strike Out Sexual Assault tournament are there so Airmen can come out and have a good time, as well as interact with us in a casual setting,” said Masters. “We can get people out of the office for an afternoon and remind them that we are here for them, while doing it in an environment that is all about building camaraderie and having fun.” Masters will continue to strike the delicate balance between lighthearted gatherings and serious discussion of sexual assault with the Letters to Survivors Luncheon slated for the end of the month, where speakers will read letters of support to survivors of sexual assault. At the end of the event, each guest will be invited to write a short note to hang on a clothesline for display. Though the luncheon will mark the end of SAAM programming at Cannon, Masters said that Air Commandos should remember they can seek help from a SARC throughout the entire year. “The Air Force’s official awareness month is in April, but we keep our programming going year round,” Masters stated. “We want to remain visible.” Masters stated that the 2015 theme for SAAM, “Eliminate Sexual Assault: Know Your Part, Do Your Part,” can be applied to every day of the year. “We work all year and constantly go out to talk with units,” Masters said. “One month won’t fix everything, so we are working all the time.”