Military Officer - November 2006 - (Page 49)

chapteractivities ber had concluded there weren’t many veterans in their district.” Briggs and the chapter’s vice president and legislative chair, Lt. Col. Nicolo A. Santangelo, AUS-Ret., realized they needed to mobilize members and make sure their voices were heard, so they launched a threepronged plan to increase legislative activism: In addition to mailing postcards, chapter members respond to legislative alerts sent via e-mail and also make an effort to visit with their congressional representatives when they are in their home districts. “We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for members to participate in the political process, and it seems to be working,” says Santangelo. Members of the Lone Star Ofﬁcers Club also have been mailing postcards to their congressional representatives. Chapter President Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Charles, USNR-Ret., decided to launch a similar effort in his own chapter after he heard about the Greater Dallas Chapter’s efforts during a Texas Council of Chapters meeting. During the past four months, members have ﬁlled out and mailed more than 450 postcards to their congressional representatives. “The nice part is, this is easy to do, and it’s quite effective,” says Charles. “I would encourage other chapters to give this a try.” treated at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa. Operation Helping Hand provides families with emotional support, monetary assistance, and in-kind donations ranging from groceries to free rental cars. Special requests from active duty patients and their families also are considered — and granted in most cases. President George W. Bush chose MOAA to host his speech on the ongoing war on terrorism Sept. 5 in Washington, D.C. chapters in Maryland and Virginia’s Mount Vernon and Northern Virginia chapters. Texas Chapters Organize Postcard Campaigns General Pace (in uniform) congratulates Tampa Chapter members (from left) Siegman, Silah, Lefavor, and Sawallesh. During the Aug. 11 ceremony at the Pentagon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace, USMC, presented a $5,000 check to Lt. Col. Richard Siegman, USAFRet.; Capt. Bob Silah, USN-Ret.; Lt. David Lefavor, USN-Ret.; and Lt. Col. Robert F. Sawallesh, USA-Ret., of the Tampa Chapter. The awards are sponsored by Newman’s Own Inc., the Fisher House Foundation, and the Military Times Media Group. Operation Helping Hand has assisted more than 200 families with approximately $87,000 worth of inkind donations and $43,000 in cash. Chapter members who participate in the program volunteer their time, and the only expenses incurred are for printing and mailing brochures to potential donors. “We are very pleased to represent MOAA again in this year’s contest,” NOVEMBER 2006 M embers of the Greater Dallas Chapter and Lone Star (Texas) Ofﬁcers Club Inc. have stepped up their legislative efforts this election year. For the past several months, both chapters’ leaders have printed postcards to distribute at chapter meetings. The postcards contain messages urging representatives to support legislation that would help military members and their families. Members ﬁll in their name and address and sign the cards, which are collected at the end of each meeting, sorted by congressional district, and mailed to Texas legislators. “I came up with the idea after I spoke with a congressional staff member who told me they weren’t really tracking veterans’ issues because they weren’t getting any complaints,” says Greater Dallas Chapter President Col. David Briggs, USARet. “Because of that, the staff memPHOTO: ABOVE, STEVE BARRETT Tampa Chapter Wins Newman’s Own Award F or the second consecutive year, the Tampa (Fla.) Chapter has won a Newman’s Own Award for its community service project Operation Helping Hand. Chapter members started the project in May 2004 to help families of wounded active duty patients being MILITARY OFFICER 49

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - November 2006

From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Financial Guidebook Got (the right) Insurance? A Penny Saved, a Degree Earned The “Y” MOAA Scholarship Recipients Pages of History Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors MOAA Member Services Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - November 2006

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