MOAA: Chapter Activities

Producing a monthly newsletter isn't cheap. Members of the Willow Grove (Pa.) Chapter, however, have found a way to save money and improve the quality of their monthly newsletter: They're publishing it themselves.

"For over a year now, our newsletter has been produced entirely by chapter members," says Cmdr. Tom Stack, USNR-Ret., editor of the chapter's newsletter, Stack Arms. "Along with gathering articles, determining the current month's birthdays and anniversaries, and preparing the mailing list, we now also print and prepare the newsletter for mailing. This has resulted in a great savings and has allowed us to increase our donations to various charities and organizations."

Stack estimates the chapter saved approximately $5,000 last year by printing and producing its own newsletter, which gets mailed monthly to the chapter's 546 members. The chapter netted the savings even after an $800 folding machine was purchased to help with the assembly of the newsletters.

Although members cut costs, they didn't cut back on the quality of their publication. Stack uses a high-quality digital camera to take photos for Stack Arms and a professional computer design program called Adobe PageMaker to lay out the newsletter.

Several members contribute articles to the publication, which covers everything from membership and recruiting to pending legislation. Prior to publication, every article is reviewed by the chapter's six-member editorial review committee, chaired by Lt. Col. Vince Wargo, USA-Ret.

Once articles are approved, the newsletters are printed out on Stack's laser printer, with the chapter picking up the cost of ink and paper. Stack also maintains a membership database, which is used to generate mailing labels.

Each month, 15 to 20 chapter members gather to help fold and collate the publication, which is sorted by zip code. One hearty volunteer lugs the bundles of newsletters to the post office for mailing.

Last year, the Willow Grove Chapter used the money it saved to beef up its scholarship fund and ROTC awards program. The chapter also contributed to organizations that help personnel at nearby Willow Grove Naval Air Station and to several charities, according to Lt. Cmdr. Gene Kelly, usn-Ret., chapter president. The chapter's board of directors currently is examining its budget for the coming year to determine how future newsletter savings will be allocated.

Iowa Chapter Supports Raiders Challenge

The Iowa Chapter has only 150 members, but that hasn't stopped it from funding projects that benefit area students. This small but active chapter, which draws an average of 65 members at its bimonthly meetings, supports an ROTC unit at Iowa State University in Ames and Junior ROTC units at Hoover High School and North High School in Des Moines.

Members recently stepped up their involvement by donating an additional $250 to the Junior ROTC unit at Hoover High School. The money was used to purchase trophies for the winners of Raiders Challenge, an annual two-day competition that sees Junior ROTC students from across the state compete against each other in 17 areas of military fitness and marksmanship. The challenge was held at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa. Lt. Cmdr. Robert Worden, USNR-Ret., chapter secretary, assisted with presentation of the trophies during the awards ceremony.

Currently, the chapter is working to start its own scholarship fund. Approximately $2,000 has been collected to date, according to Maj. Mick Dubois, usmc-Ret., chapter president.

Egyptian Officer Speaks to Heart of America Chapter

Members of the Heart of America Chapter in Kansas City, Mo., know a little bit more about life in Egypt and the Middle East, thanks to Maj. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Aly. An Egyptian army officer who is attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Aly is one of many interesting and informative speakers who have addressed chapter members in recent months.

Getting interesting speakers for monthly meetings has helped the Heart of America Chapter attract new members. Last year, the chapter ran an impressive recruitment campaign and added 230 new members, according to Col. Garey Reeves, USAF-Ret., immediate past president. This year's officers, led by Col. Jim Snyder, USAF-Ret., say they intend to keep the momentum going.

In addition to its speaker program, the chapter will host a free picnic for members in June and plans to award three scholarships totaling $5,000 to deserving area high school students.

North Central Washington Members Recognize Student Author

For the past five years, students at two local high schools in Wenatchee, Wash., have participated in the "Honor by Listening" program, in which students conduct one-on-one interviews with veterans that are compiled into a booklet titled Returning With Honor that is sold in the community.

Shortly after the fifth edition of the Returning With Honor series was published, members of the North Central Washington Chapter decided the time had come to formally recognize one of the student authors. They read all 13 interviews included in the fifth edition and judged Eric Cates' essay on Brig. Gen. Robinson Risner, USAF-Ret., a pow during the Vietnam War, to be the best. Cates received a certificate of accomplishment and a $500 U.S. savings bond, presented by chapter President Lt. Judith Cornell, USA-Ret.

"We may do this again if another booklet is published," says Maj. Albert Conti, aus-Ret., chapter secretary.

The 83-member chapter also supports students who participate in local ROTC programs. Each year, the North Central Washington Chapter awards a $100 savings bond to outstanding ROTC students at three area colleges.

Booth at Indianapolis Speedway Funds Scholarship Program

When members of the White River (Ind.) Chapter decide to do something, they do it in a big way. Last year, the 110-member chapter kicked off its new scholarship program by presenting six $500 checks to college-bound students.

Chapter members funded the scholarships by setting up a souvenir trailer at the Indianapolis Speedway that they staffed during three major auto-racing events last year. Members received a commission on booth sales, which totaled approximately $10,000.

Operating the souvenir trailer has allowed members to meet other military members and veterans from all over the world. It also has increased the chapter's visibility within the community and aided with recruiting efforts.

"We get a lot of people who come by and ask, 'Who are you, and what do you do?' " says Col. Bob Book, usmc-Ret., president of the White River Chapter. "We're always passing out literature on the organization."

You Are Us

Every time a member of the board or staff visits a chapter, you share your appreciation for what MOAA has done. Let me be the umpteenth person to say this: You owe yourselves the applause. We are representatives who follow through on what you start. MOAA is a partnership with you - that's why we're successful.

At the end of this month, about 51 of your council and chapter leaders will visit Washington to continue a tradition started by folks who came to MOAA headquarters simply to discuss chapter and council problems. These leaders had asked us to help arrange visits with their congressional representatives so they could really make their trips worthwhile. We knew a good thing when we saw it, especially when they came back from their Hill visits telling us how they had "buttonholed Congressman So-and-so" and gotten his support for cost-of-living-adjustments (or whatever the current issue happened to be). Thus was born the Council Presidents' Seminar/Storming the Hill effort.

Though we try, we don't always accomplish it all. Last year we were not completely successful on concurrent receipt. While we did, as Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), said, "establish a concurrent receipt beachhead," the victory we had hoped for still lies ahead.

This year our top two legislative goals will be 1) to get some Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) equity (you probably know what the problems with SBP are, and if you don't, I urge you to read "Washington Scene" for more details), and 2) to get Congress to raise Medicare/TRICARE reimbursement rates. These rates simply aren't what they should be, and some health care providers are refusing to accept Medicare-eligible military retirees and their families as patients. If this situation goes unresolved, eventually it will undermine all our work on TRICARE For Life.

Each of you can do your part. While your MOAA representatives are in Washington twisting arms, you can let your state and district congressional offices know what you expect them to do to resolve the issues. We know this system works. When it comes to representing our association, you speak for us. You are us.

Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs

All Volunteers, All the Time

Each day, the Council and Chapter Affairs Department receives e-mails, letters, and newsletters that detail chapter members' volunteer efforts. Over the years, chapter members have spearheaded so many outstanding volunteer projects they've begun to make the extraordinary work they do seem ordinary.

MOAA's chapter and council system is fueled by members' volunteer spirit. Volunteers fill every leadership position. They write newsletter articles, set up informative Web sites, and send out e-mails alerting members to pending legislation that affects servicemembers and their families. They're the force behind every chapter or council project.

A little more than a year ago, members of the Pikes Peak Chapter in Colorado Springs, Colo., were asked to submit the number of volunteer hours they worked each month - just so members could get an idea about the impact they were making in the community. The statistics are impressive. During 2002, approximately 1,000 of the chapter's 3,400 members volunteered more than 17,000 hours, doing everything from building wheelchair ramps for low-income seniors to helping with blood drives.

The range of volunteer projects undertaken by chapter members also is amazing. Many of these projects are tailored to meet community needs.

Members of the Ark-La-Tex Chapter, for example, are working to reduce crime in their area by volunteering in the Louisiana Bossier Parish Sheriff's Posse. Approximately 34 chapter members work four to five hours each week doing everything from checking homes of residents who are on vacation to assisting with traffic control.

Other chapters gear their efforts toward students. The El Paso (Texas) Chapter is one of hundreds of MOAA chapters that support a Junior ROTC or ROTC unit. Members participate in medal presentations and sponsor ROTC students who attend leadership conferences.

Dozens of other chapters, such as the New Hampshire Chapter, have set up scholarship programs that are kept alive through members' fund-raising efforts.

A few chapters, such as the Cape Canaveral (Fla.) Chapter, have established outreach programs that see members travel to area schools to teach students about the military and what it means to be a veteran.

Some volunteer efforts benefit chapter members or members of the military community and their families. Members of the Totah (N.M.) Chapter's personal affairs committee, for example, help members and surviving spouses submit inquiries, applications, and claims to government agencies. They also help keep them informed about their earned entitlements.

Then there are the individual volunteer efforts of chapter members such as Lt. Col. Reuben Darr, aus-Ret. Darr, a member of the Indianapolis Chapter, recently received the Distinguished Hoosier Award - one of the highest honors the state of Indiana bestows on its citizens - in recognition of his volunteer community service.

There's also Lt. Col. Connie C. Dyer, USAR-Ret., of the Broward County (Fla.) Chapter, who received the George Washington Medal from the Broward County Chapter of the National Freedom Foundation in honor of her volunteer community service.

Some members' volunteer efforts have garnered national attention. Lt. Col. Wilson Foust Jr., USAF-Ret., of the Lancaster (Pa.) Chapter, appeared in a recent issue of This Active Life, published by the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. The publication described how Foust, who had a second career as a teacher, has been mentoring several Vietnamese students during the past few years so they could achieve their educational goals.