chaptersinaction
spouses gathered for the Colonel Arthur T. Marix Award ceremony, which honored congressional leaders and staff and organizations who have supported MOAA’s legislative agenda.
Dinner time After Storming the Hill, participants and their spouses joined members of the national staff and board of direc- tors for dinner. Adm. Steve Abbot, USN-Ret., chair of MOAA’s board of directors, thanked those present for their efforts. “It was a particularly good day on
the Hill,” said Abbot. “It’s the most important work we do all year.” Abbot introduced keynote speaker
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, who spoke about the importance of the all-volunteer force and the lack of action to fix the cur- rent budget deficit. He concluded by again acknowledging Congress must take care of the all-volunteer force. “At the end of the day, the single
most important thing to me [is making sure] people who serve in the military have the best and the cheapest health care in this country,” Smith said.
Community Blueprint During a working breakfast the fol- lowing morning, participants learned about Community Blueprint, which has become an important national service project for MOAA. Three MOAA chapters — the East Texas and Rose Capital (Texas) chapters and the South Georgia Chapter — participate in the Community Blueprint pilot program. Under the program, MOAA chapter members help local leaders find ways to better support veterans and their families at the community level.
Council and Chapter Affairs Direc-
tor Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret., challenged attendees to identify 10 more MOAA chapters to participate in the effort. (Learn more at http://
vimeo.com/40108251.)
Lange then discussed successful
chapter recruiting efforts in retire- ment communities, described efforts to start satellite chapters in states served by a single MOAA chapter, and outlined a new plan that offers incentives to state councils that es- tablish new chapters. In addition, participants learned about a proposal to change the Give Me 10! program for 2013, with the emphasis shift- ing to recruiting and retaining more chapter members.
National priorities Leaders convened for several general sessions. MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., began the first session by thanking council and chapter leaders for their service. “[MOAA is] blessed to have you
as leaders,” Ryan said. “We’re so grateful for all you’re doing in your communities. You’re making an enormous difference.” Key members of the national
staff briefed participants. Capt. Bud Schneeweis, USCG-Ret., director of Benefits Information and Financial Education (BIFE), highlighted three ways BIFE helps members — through outreach programs, mass communi- cation, and member interaction. Col. Mike Jordan, USAF-Ret., director of Contract Services and Marketing, outlined MOAA’s marketing strate- gies to recruit new members, and Capt. Jim Carman, USN-Ret., direc- tor of the TOPS career-transition department, described how MOAA is strengthening its career-management
programs. Auxiliary Member Advi- sory Committee (AMAC) member Joyce Harte highlighted AMAC’s goals, including having auxiliary li- aisons in 250 chapters and 20 state councils by 2013. Council leaders were called for-
ward to accept the Col. Marvin J. Harris Communications Award on behalf of affiliates in their states that submitted winning entries for their communication efforts in 2011. (See facing page for more details.)
Emphasis on active duty Lunch keynote speaker Adm. Mark Ferguson, USN, vice chief of naval operations, highlighted the Navy’s role in national defense and cited lo- cations where personnel are stationed to protect U.S. interests. He also dis- cussed recent budget challenges. “I’m very optimistic about the
future of the Navy and its role in our national defense,” he said. “But most importantly, [it’s] the extraordinary quality of our young people and what we’re doing in our new mission areas.” Following lunch, participants learned the results of the AMAC- sponsored Cell Phones for Soldiers initiative. Under the initiative, chap- ters were asked to collect old cell- phones that could be recycled and, in return, provide our deployed troops with prepaid phone cards they could use to call home. The three chapters that collected the most old cellphones were the Middle Tennessee Chapter, with 4,907 cellphones; the Fort Ben- ning (Ga.) Chapter, with 3,005 cell- phones; and the Albuquerque (N.M.) Chapter, with 2,070 cellphones. Attendees wrapped up the event
by discussing chapter-management and recruiting techniques during a crosstalk session.
*online: Visit
www.moaa.org/councilseminar to view presentations from the Council Presidents’ Seminar. 44 MILITARY OFFICER JUNE 2012
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