chaptersinaction
Council of Chapters (VCOC) Presi- dent Col. Sam Wilder Jr., USA-Ret. Several years ago, VCOC mem-
bers joined forces with the Joint Leadership Council (JLC), which is composed of 22 other state vet- erans’ organizations, and began working to take away the stigma at- tached to PTSD and TBI to ensure Virginia’s veterans received the care they deserved. VCOC and JLC members met with legislators and leaders in the state’s Department of Veterans’ Services and began laying the groundwork for the Vir- ginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP), which would support vet- erans of all wars and their families who are affected by PTSD, TBI, and other injuries sustained while serv- ing our country. Members of the VCOC and the
JLC also met with state legislators and officials and convinced them the VWWP was needed. Their lob- bying efforts paid off, and in 2008, Virginia passed legislation establish- ing the VWWP. “If it wasn’t for the Joint Leader-
ship Council … really lobbying for us, and of course MOAA was a huge part of that effort, we wouldn’t have this program,” says Capt. Catherine Wilson, USN-Ret., executive direc- tor for the VWWP.
MOAA leadership Many of the people working to en- sure the VWWP’s success are MOAA members, including Wilson. Cmdr. Paul Galanti, USN-Ret., a former Vietnam POW and member of the Richmond (Va.) Chapter, is direc- tor of the Virginia Department of Veterans’ Services that oversees the VWWP. Col. Jack Hilgers, USMC-Ret., legislative chair for the Hampton Roads (Va.) Chapter,
was appointed by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who is a member of the Richmond Chapter, to head up the Veterans Service Foundation. The foundation’s No. 1 goal is to provide financial support for the VWWP, which relies primarily on state fund- ing in addition to federal grants and private contributions. After the VWWP was formed,
the VCOC continued to support the program. Many chapters invited Wilson to come and speak so they could learn more about PTSD and TBI. Often, Wilson would leave a chapter meeting with a donation for the VWWP. Nearly half of MOAA chapters in Virginia have donated to the VWWP since it was estab- lished. To date in FY 2010, chapters and chapter members in Virginia have donated $14,752 to the VWWP. The Richmond, Hampton Roads, Virginia Peninsula, and George C. Marshall chapters can take credit for much of that donation. “The George C. Marshall Chap- ter has been the top contributor [to
the VWWP] among all veterans’ service organizations, chapters, posts, and detachments in Virginia for this and the last three fiscal years,” says Hilgers. The George C. Marshall Chapter
has donated $10,802 to the VWWP to date this year, with contributions coming from individual members and from the chapter’s annual skeet-shoot and golf-tournament fundraisers. According to Lt. Col. Bob Hopkins, USAF-Ret., George C. Marshall Chapter president, sup- porting the VWWP is the chapter’s primary service project. “We want to make sure this pro-
gram receives adequate funding,” says Hopkins. “We also are trying to get the word out so people know the program exists.” The chapter’s support hasn’t
gone unnoticed. On June 8, mem- bers of Virginia’s general assembly passed a resolution honoring the George C. Marshall Chapter for its continued support of the VWWP and for other projects its chapter
Give Me 10! Awards
The 2010 Give Me 10! program is gaining momentum. As of June 30, 2,938 members have joined national MOAA for the first time or converted an- nual memberships to life memberships. Of the new members recruited, 242 are paid members — more paid members than were recruited in all of 2009. Because no councils won awards during the first quarter of 2010, the in-
centive money was rolled over to the second quarter, and each winning council will receive $1,000. There were no independent chapter winners this quarter. Winning councils from each region are
West: New Mexico Council of Chapters, 14 new members recruited; Midwest: Arkansas Council of Chapters, 16 new members recruited; Northeast: Virginia Council of Chapters, 22 new members recruited; and Southeast: Florida Council of Chapters, 24 new mem- bers recruited. To learn more, visit
www.moaa.org/givemeten.
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