Military Officer - March 2007 - (Page 12)

fromthepresident Help Us Help Them Our sons and daughters are our nation’s greatest treasure. Helping military parents fund their children’s education demonstrates how much we value their service and sacriﬁce. O ne of the most satisfying rewards I enjoy as president of your association is seeing MOAA’s efforts directly beneﬁt the children of our military families. These beneﬁts take many forms. Some are less visible, such as the impact our legislative lobbying has on military children. Our legislative successes include increasing school-impact aid, establishing family programs such as child care, and preserving dependent schools operated by DoD — all of which directly beneﬁt children of military families. Other MOAA efforts to support military children are very visible — such as our educational assistance programs. Since 1948, these programs have helped more than 9,000 children from ofﬁcer and enlisted families. During 2006-2007, MOAA’s Scholarship Fund supported more than 1,400 college students with no-interest loans and grants. MOAA absorbs all of the overhead to administer the fund, so 100 percent of your contribution goes to helping young people. We know there is an urgent need to help more students, so we hope to grow the scholarship fund by 10 percent each year. In another initiative to help military families fund their children’s education, MOAA recently joined forces with Vanguard to offer the Vanguard® 529 College Savings Plan to military families and retirees. The beauty of this plan is that military retirees, ofﬁcers, and enlisted personnel now can start a 529 account for as little as $50, instead of Vanguard’s usual $3,000 12 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2007 minimum. MOAA’s Web Base has all the details (www. moaa.org/529). One of my true delights is hearing from those MOAA has helped. One college freshman wrote to us, “Your support of my education has allowed me to stay focused on my studies … and begin to make progress toward my goal of serving our nation with a career in our State Department.” It doesn’t get much better than that. In recent years MOAA has saved members substantial amounts of money by securing changes to the Survivor Beneﬁt Plan, TRICARE For Life (TFL), and concurrent receipt. TFL can save a 65-year-old retired couple $4,000 each year that they no longer need to pay for a Medicare supplemental insurance policy. If that money isn’t needed for everyday living expenses, it’s more than enough to open a 529-plan savings account. Help MOAA help these young people. Contact our Member Service Center at (800) 234-MOAA (6622) to donate to our Scholarship Fund and start a Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan as well. You’ll be glad you did. — Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT http://www.moaa.org/529 http://www.moaa.org/529

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From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Forward, March 10 Top Cities Tell Us About It Fly the Plan Cover Story: The War Poster One Percent Pages of History Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Member Services Member Books Sounding Taps MOAA Calendar Encore

Military Officer - March 2007

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