THINGS WE DO
Committees, groups of members working together for a given purpose, are the backbone of an organization like ours as it seeks to most effectively achieve its mission. In addition to the Board of Directors, established committees do the Association’s basic work and welcome any and all volunteers.
Our Association is organized into five major committees
and four specific groups that provide services to our members. The complete
listing of the principle contacts and their telephone numbers can be found in
the MOAS Membership Directory publication. The following briefly describes the
functions of the major committees and Association service functions.
Membership: The Membership Committee promotes growth in the local
Association and national MOAA by maintaining the Association’s active membership
rolls and providing oversight of the membership support subcommittees.
Recruiting: It conducts a periodic review of the MOAA membership roster of
military officers and surviving spouses living in the Sarasota, Bradenton, and
Venice areas and mails Association membership applications. Our Committee
encourages referrals by current members of eligible friends recently moved into
the area.
Database Maintenance: A personal computer (PC) database is used to track
the Association membership by adding new members’ personal data and subtracting
losses as occurring. The PC database is also used for newsletter and other
periodic Association mailings. Significant effort is required to ensure that
Association records arc kept current.
Directory Publication: The Association membership database is updated and
published as an official Directory on 1 March each year. This is also the
primary source of a variety of Association information such as the Constitution
and By Laws, calendar of scheduled events, Association background and
philosophy, goals and objectives, regional medical information, important
telephone numbers, and internal operational
organization.
Honorary Lifetime Membership: In 1998 the Board of Directors initiated a
program to honor our most senior members — those over the age of 90. Members who
reach that august age are given a separate listing in the Directory, and are
exempted from paying dues in future years. It was also approved to extend this
special honorary designation to all past (and future) winners of the
Association’s two most prestigious personal awards — The Aubrey S. Newman Winter
Warrior Award, and the Martin Hertz
Lifetime Community Service Award — and their widows.
Scheduled Events: The Scheduled Events Committee is responsible for making
all arrangements for the monthly Association luncheon meetings, including the
annual Military Gala Ball. The committee contracts with the host restaurant for
use of its rooms and coordinates menu selections at least six months in advance.
Other committee members record reservations and track money received, establish
reception tables at each function to ensure that attendees and guests are
properly greeted and made to feel
welcome, and conduct a 50/50 raffle to raise money for special community
projects. Audio-visual support (when required) for luncheon programs is also
arranged by members of this committee.
Scholarships and Projects: The Scholarships and Projects Committee is
responsible for execution of the MOAS’ “Scholarship Awards Program.” The
Committee oversees Association support for JROTC programs in local high schools
and interfaces with the Academic Olympics in Sarasota County to provide awards
for the annual competition among high schools. The committee also maintains
liaison with other community-wide military, social, and educational
organizations.
Support Our Troops. In 2005, MOAS elected to begin the
sponsorship of a unit deployed to Iraq, and undertook an effort to supply the
troops with a variety of articles that were hard to get in the overseas
environment. Our program calls for sending Care Packages to the unit Company
Commanders for distribution to the troops. Our Web site at
www.supportourtroopsmoas.com
has detailed instructions for obtaining free
Priority Mail boxes from the US Postal Service along with required Customs
Forms. What our Chapter is trying to say to the troops is “You are in harms way,
away from your friends and family here at home, and we want to show our
compassion and love for you by sending a personal package to show we care about
you". It’s that simple! They know you care about them!
Newsletter: The Newsletter Committee publishes a monthly periodical (THE
SARASOTA BREEZE) that contains information on matters of interest to all
members and their spouses. It is the principal means of communication with the
membership, addressing local and national issues of relevance to military
personnel, their spouses and survivors. Monthly articles include the President’s
Message, Chaplain’s Corner, Secretary’s Corner, “Event Past” (what happened at
last month’s luncheon), “Coming Event” (program for next month’s luncheon),
legislative update, and the Association Calendar
for the next two months. Each issue of THE SARASOTA BREEZE will also contain
information and a reservation form for the next monthly luncheon.