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Field Reports
Contributors are Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.,
Director, and Col. Jim Pauls, USAF-Ret., Council and Chapter
Affairs, and Kris Ann Hegle
Get in the Game
Numbers impress people, whether they’re reading the sports page or
the stock market report. So, let me give you some numbers on MOAA.
Today there are approximately 370,000 MOAA members. Of these,
approximately 83,000, or about 22 percent, belong to an MOAA
chapter. Are you impressed? If not, read on.
Over the years, members of the staff and the board of directors have
used the pages of this magazine to praise the work of our chapter
members on behalf of our national legislative agenda. It is the rank
and file chapter member who, day in and day out, carries the bulk of
the grassroots lobbying effort we so urgently need. Our council
presidents and chapter members come to Washington each spring to
speak on our behalf. If we need a push — some support from a member
of Congress in a particular district — we know where to turn: the
local chapter or state council.
It makes you wonder then, is MOAA membership just a spectator sport?
Can we afford to have 78 percent of our members simply nodding
approval by paying their annual dues? Sure, it’s easy to say, “I’m
too busy,” but what do you say when something we all need from
Congress isn’t forthcoming? Who is responsible? The national
organization, the chapter members, or you, sitting on
the sidelines?
President John F. Kennedy put it beautifully when he said, “Ask not
what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your
country.” Being an American is not a spectator sport. We all should
get involved. The same holds true for MOAA members. Sitting on the
sidelines should not be an option. Col. Chris
Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
Field Reports
Junior ROTC Cadets Receive Awards
Central Oregon Chapter Public Relations Chair Lt. Col. Dick
Tobiason, USA-Ret., and Medal of Honor recipient Bob Maxwell
presented awards to two outstanding college-bound Junior ROTC (JROTC)
cadets during a ceremony May 5.
Tobiason presented Cadet Jack Fine with an MOAA medal in recognition
of his outstanding leadership. Maxwell, who is a World War II
veteran and the only living Medal
of Honor recipient in Oregon, presented the chapter’s new Robert D.
Maxwell Medal of Honor Scholarship to Cadet Tyler Takemoto. The
$1,000 scholarship was made possible by a generous donation from
Mike Donohue, who is the branch manager of Smith Barney in Bend,
Ore.
“Mike Donohue was so impressed by the Junior ROTC program that he
committed to a donation for next year,” says Tobiason. “Donohue and
Smith Barney have generously contributed to the Veterans Day parade
in Bend, the Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, and
the Medal of Honor Foundation.”
Members of the Central Oregon Chapter hope other MOAA chapters will
follow their lead and start scholarships to honor our nation’s Medal
of Honor recipients. (To find a Medal of Honor recipient in your
chapter’s area, visit
www.homeofheroes.com.)
The awards ceremony also marked the retirement of chapter member
Col. Mike Brock, USMC-Ret., who was the first JROTC instructor in
Central Oregon. He also is the founding director of JROTC programs
at three area high schools.
Tournament Raises $14,000 for American Patriot Scholarship
It takes a lot of hard work for a 106-member chapter to raise
$14,000. But that’s exactly what happened April 30, when members of
the Heart of Texas Chapter hosted a golf tournament to raise money
to establish an American Patriot Scholarship through The Scholarship
Fund of MOAA.
Chapter President Col. Nelson Modrall, USA-Ret., came up with the
idea shortly after he took office in January 2005. Modrall was
looking for a service project that would mobilize members and
increase the chapter’s profile in the community. After reading an
article in Military Officer magazine about the American Patriot
Scholarship program, which was established to help the sons and
daughters of uniformed services personnel who die in active service,
he contacted Cindy Amos with The Scholarship Fund of MOAA.
Modrall learned the chapter needed to raise $30,000 within five
years to establish an American Patriot Scholarship, which would bear
the chapter’s name in perpetuity. Before committing to the project,
however, chapter members wanted to see just how much money they
could raise if they took their annual golf tournament fundraiser to
the next level.
In the process, they came together like never before.
“Suddenly, we had a focal point,” says Modrall of the effort to be
the first MOAA chapter to establish an American Patriot Scholarship.
“The board was all for it, and so were the members. Whenever we
needed anything, people would say, ‘Sign me up.’ ”
Chapter Board Member Maj. Bill Bewley, USAF-Ret., and Modrall’s
wife, Rosalind, got things rolling by signing up 35 golfers for the
tournament. Second Vice President Lt. Col. Vincent Tobola, USAF-Ret.,
volunteered to organize and run the event. Rosalind Modrall, who
also sits on the chapter’s board of directors, then began soliciting
area business owners, who donated a total of $8,000 in cash, prizes,
and coupons. This allowed the chapter to structure the tournament so
golfers would have a chance to win a prize on every hole — a move
that attracted more players. She also collected food donations so
players could have something to eat or drink at the event.
Chapter Board Member Col. Dan Stanton, USAF-Ret., was able to raise
$1,000 for the tournament, and another board member, Lt. Col. Harold
Rafuse, USAF-Ret., sponsored three holes, donating a total of $450.
President Modrall also contacted Steve Fallon, a radio commentator,
who promoted the tournament on the air, and press releases were sent
out to members of the media.
Chapter members already are planning next year’s tournament, and
area business owners have been contacted so they can include the
chapter’s golf tournament in their list of charitable contributions
for 2006. Members also have invited national MOAA President Vice
Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USA-Ret., to play in next year’s tournament,
which will be held April 1, 2006, at the Cottonwood Creek Municipal
Golf Course in Waco, Texas.
Charleston (S.C.) Chapter Celebrates 50th Anniversary
MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., was the guest of
honor at the Charleston (S.C.) Chapter’s 50th anniversary
celebration, which was held May 20. More than 73 members and guests
attended the event, including seven of the chapter’s past
presidents.
During his speech, Ryan outlined many of the challenges faced by
military recruiters, especially National Guard and Reserve
recruiters, who are finding it increasingly difficult
to meet their monthly goals. Ryan told members he and Maj. Gen.
Michael D. Rochelle, commanding general of the U.S. Army Recruiting
Command, signed a memorandum
of understanding in January 2005 that encourages MOAA members to
help recruiters by reaching out to those who are considering a
career in the military.
Following his speech, Ryan presented Chapter President Col. Josiah
W. “Butch” Fuller, USA-Ret., with a 50th anniversary certificate.
The chapter’s members also were honored with 50th anniversary
proclamations from Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.) and the mayors
of Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Hanahan,
Summerville, and Goose Creek.
“I thought the anniversary celebration went well, and it was
wonderful to get the kind of recognition that we did from national [MOAA],”
says Fuller.
The Charleston Chapter has started a number of programs that benefit
both members and the community. The chapter has its own scholarship
fund, and members participate in the Gift of Groceries program,
buying commissary gift cards for needy servicemembers’ families, who
use them to purchase groceries. Members also help children who live
in South Carolina’s Low Country region by selling decals and license
plates, with proceeds going to programs such as Toys for Tots.
Recently, chapter members established the Robert J. Lahm Award in
memory of Lt. Col. Robert J. Lahm, USA, who served as chapter
secretary from January 1997 to April
2003. The annual award is given to a chapter member who has provided
outstanding service to both the community and the chapter. Another
awards program sees members support ROTC students at two
universities and Junior ROTC cadets at more than 20 local high
schools.
CWO3 Bill Meisburger, USN-Ret., is the editor of the chapter’s
award-winning newsletter, Bridge View, which was named as the first
runner-up in Category I (500-899 members) in MOAA’s 2004
Communications Awards Contest. Lt. Cmdr. Philip A. “Al” Stiles Jr.,
USN-Ret., also keeps members informed through the chapter’s Web site
(www.chasmoaa.org), which he recently redesigned and updated.
Currently, members are preparing for the chapter’s annual golf
tournament and barbecue, which will be held Sept. 16 at Wrenwoods
Golf Course on Charleston AFB.
National MOAA Launches Give Me 10! Campaign
National MOAA is kicking off its Give Me 10! campaign by
challenging chapters to recruit 10 new members by the end of the
year.
For years, MOAA has advocated for your interests on Capitol Hill.
But its strength is being diminished by the passing of
servicemembers from the “greatest generation.” The association must
recruit 4,200 new members by Dec. 31 and is counting on you to help.
Last month, MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., mailed
out a letter asking chapter leaders to sign up and participate in
the Give Me 10! recruiting campaign. Those who returned their
sign-up cards received kits containing materials and ideas to help
them with their recruiting efforts.
Chapters that participate in the program will receive $10 for every
new member they recruit and a $100 bonus after they recruit 10
members. Chapters will continue to receive $10 for every new member
they recruit, even after they’ve recruited 10 members. Chapters also
will be broken out by size, and a $1,000 prize will be given to the
top recruiting chapter in each category.
In addition, each recruiter will have a chance to win $1,000. Every
time a recruiter signs up a new member, he or she will receive an
entry into our sweepstakes with a chance to win $1,000. The more
officers you recruit, the more chances you’ll have to win. In
addition, the new member associated with the winning recruiter also
will receive a prize — a life membership to MOAA and $500.
The “Give Me 10!” campaign runs from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2005, so
sign up now, and start recruiting today! Remember, the more members
you recruit, the more money you can earn for your chapter. Better
still, your recruiting efforts will go a long way to helping MOAA
remain a strong and formidable force on Capitol Hill.
If you haven’t yet signed up to participate in the Give Me 10!
campaign or received your marketing kit, contact MOAA’s Member
Service Center at (800) 234-6622 or e-mail
msc@moaa.org.
On the Web
Want to join an MOAA chapter
but don’t know where to find one? Go to our
chapter locator to find the
chapter nearest you.
Contributors are Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.,
Director, and Col. Jim Pauls, USAF-Ret., Council and Chapter
Affairs, and Kris Ann Hegle
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