SARASOTA MILITARY OFFICERS SCHOLARSHIP FUND (SMOSF) INC

SARASOTA MILITARY OFFICERS SCHOLARSHIP FUND (SMOSF) INC  
PO BOX # 1016 
SARASOTA FL 34230-1016

We are a 501(c)(3) organization


Benefiting Our Community 

...Twenty Years and Growing

Last year marked the twentieth anniversary of the Sarasota Military Officers Foundation, Inc., honored to be serving our community of over 88,000 Veterans and 40,000 Sarasota County school students. Our Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, established by the Military Officers Association of Sarasota to support community outreach programs throughout the greater Sarasota & Manatee region. We are an all-volunteer Veteran’s organization and, as such, are very frugal with our donors’ contributions. Other than regulatory fees, postage and printing costs, your donations are used to support our programs. We focus our efforts in six areas:
  1. Awarding educational and vocational merit-based scholarships to qualified, high-achieving high school seniors;
  2. Providing Veteran educational financial aid to returning Veterans to attend local educational institutions;
  3. Sponsoring the American Flag Initiative, a 10-lesson curriculum to educate our elementary school children on the origin, history and meaning of the American Flag.
  4. Supporting the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs and the maintenance of their training facilities;
  5. Sending care packages to deployed troops under the Support Our Troops Program (SOT)
  6. Sponsoring patriotic, educational and inspirational public events for our community and Veterans.

We do a variety of efforts to help our troops overseas, help Veterans, and provide scholarships. I have posted a few of our efforts:

Scholarships


17 Years of Its “Support Our Troups”






Military Officers Association of Sarasota Has Completed 17 Years of Its “Support Our Troups” Program



Southwest FL – At the end of 2019, the Sarasota Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America has distributed approximately 34,000 postal boxes with instructions to the public. The distribution of these boxes is done during events such the Veterans Day parade when 1,200 boxes were handed out.

These boxes are expected to be mailed to Service members serving under harsh conditions and in harms-way and to units in austere environments. This effort was initiated by the Military Officers Association of Sarasota and began in 2003. “MOAS” relies on community support to provide the depth necessary to make the program successful. MOAS has a website that provides all the information an individual, clubs, schools, etc. to send support to this program. The site is www.sarasotamoaa.com/support-us

Complete instructions are included with each box and a list of suggested care package Items to place in the box can be found on the website. Emphasis is on personal items and Servicemember support items. Keep a list and cost of items purchased for the Customs Form.

MOAS will frequently receive thank you notes from the Troops receiving the packages.

The Trooper’s Task Force of Six Shooters recently sent a thank you note. The text of this note follows:

“On behalf of Trooper’s of Task Force Six Shooters, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the care packages that you have provided. It was exceptionally thoughtful and very welcomed. Our entire team were very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the comfort items that you provided. The Commander, LTC Matthew Wolfe, and Command Sergeant Major, CSM William Wisecup, took great pleasure in handing out the packages and enjoying the smiles that it brought to our Soldiers faces. Your gesture in supporting our deployed troops is truly appreciated. Wish you all the best during the holiday season, please know that you are making a difference.
Sincerely,

The Troopers of Task Force Six Shooters
Guns up, Scouts Out!”


Attached is the photograph they sent with their thank you.

 Providing boxes for our Citizens to send care packages to our Troops in Afghanistan



Riverview Cadets Assisting MOAS Veterans Day 2019




SGM Mitchell,
Thank you for allowing Riverview JROTC Cadets Brad Deczynski, Maria Ledesma, Noah Johnson and Mia Rodriguez to assist MOAS Members in distributing 875 Support Our Troops (SOT) boxes to the American public lining the Sarasota Veterans Day Parade route.

The boxes are for people to send care packages to our troops in Afghanistan

They handled themselves in an exceptional manner and their help was greatly appreciated by all of us walking the parade route.

We could not have accomplished this without their assistance.

Sincerely,


Ronald S. Wozniak
LtCol USMCR, Retired
President, MOAS
YAHOO Co-coordinator
















Thanks for joining us for the Veterans Day parade Nov 11, 2019.  We met at the MOAA pick up truck on Main St near Links, 2 blocks west of Rt 301 at 930.  We walked the parade route handing out boxes for people to send care packages to the troops in Afghanistan. And we set up and handed out boxes at the end of the parade route.


We distributed over 900 boxes to our neighbors for them to send care packages to the Troops in Afghanistan. A Good Time Had by All. Thanks to everyone for participating.




Support Our Troops


The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall provided the Military Officers Association of Sarasota (MOAS) the opportunity on February 16, 2014 to hand Support Our Troops (SOT) kits to patrons. MOAS volunteers handed out 83 of the “Kits”. These Kits provide a shipping box, directions, a Custom Form and an address label for people to send a Care Package to soldiers in Afghanistan.



MOAS is presently supporting the 1st Air Combat Brigade in Kandahar, Afghanistan. These Care Packages have a tremendous positive impact on the Soldiers as articulated by Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Lunsford. He states that the Care Packages forwarded from an earlier SOT drive at the Sarasota Veteran’s Day parade were a great morale boost for the troops. 


CSM Lunsford is the senior enlisted man responsible for the care and morale of a Battalion of approximately 350 soldiers. CSM Lunsford states that when Soldiers receive packages from unknown American citizens, the Soldiers realizes they are not forgotten, and that Americans honor their service and their sacrifice to keep our country safe. These efforts in partnership with the Van Wezel definitely remind our deployed forces we support them.


The efforts of MOAS and Support Our Troops is part of the Legacy of Valor Campaign currently underway and led by the Patterson Foundation. The Legacy of Valor campaign community partners honors veterans, inspires patriotism and passes freedom on to others.




Memorial Day Parade



A fine time was had by all hands.  We had great support, with lots of volunteers to help pass out boxes for our troops.  Thanks much.



























Patriot Plaza - The Patterson Foundation



Patriot Plaza Newsletter 
March 12, 2019


HONORING AND ONWARD


Honoring & Onward is a celebration of The Patterson Foundation's decade of impact through people, organizations, and communities while continuing to connect, learn, share, evolve, and strengthen its efforts to realize shared aspirations.

A LOOK BACK: HONORING THE FIRST DECADE
On January 6, 2010, a foundation launched in Sarasota, Florida, under an unfettered charter to do good and do it well, while enlisting the expertise of a diverse group of consultants supported by agile staff. Through its nine initial Legacy Initiatives honoring Dorothy Patterson and the Patterson family's legacy, The Patterson Foundation honed its innovative approach to making a difference in our world - focusing on strengthening the impact of people, organizations and communities that are working toward fulfilling shared aspirations, in ways that encourage diverse participation and foster opportunities for these changemakers to learn, share and evolve with one another. A decade and 25 additional completed and ongoing initiatives later, The Patterson Foundation honors those who have embraced and strengthened their impact through this approach while pursuing further opportunities to continue these collaborative efforts in its ongoing journey. Click here to watch the TPF Honoring & Onward Documentary - A Look Back: Honoring the First Decade. Well worth your time to view this 48-minute video, so grab some popcorn and make it a movie night.

TIDEWELL DEDICATION

HONORING VETERANS, INSPIRING PATRIOTISM AND EMBRACING FREEDOM

On January 23, 2020, The Patterson Foundation and Tidewell Hospice honored the service and sacrifices of veterans and their families by partnering in the unveiling of commissioned artwork from Patriot Plaza at Tidewell's administration building as part of their Veterans Honor Program and The Patterson Foundation's Honoring & Onward 10th Anniversary. Learn more about the photograph and the Tidewell Honors Program at this link

PRESIDENTS DAY

Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln
On Monday, February 17, the Celebrating Stars and Stripes program was presented by the Sarasota Military Officers Foundation and the Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota. The Patterson Foundation ensured that guests were able to meet and take photos with Frederick Douglass (portrayed by Joel PE King) and Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by Michael Krebs).


Community Foundation of Tampa Bay Annual Visit

For the fifth year in a row, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay hosted a trip to Patriot Plaza on Presidents Day. The transportation provided visitors from Sun City Center and the surrounding area an opportunity to experience the art and architecture of this one of a kind outdoor amphitheater. This year's group of visitors was the largest yet with over 95 visitors, including many veterans and their families. 



Manatee County Boys and Girls Club meet
Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln

Patriot Plaza Guide Zoe Moore encourages the children to touch and experience the art at Patriot Plaza

STAY CONNECTED


Share this newsletter with friends, family, and co-workers. To be added to the distribution, send your request to Linda Gould at LLGouldsrq@gmail.com

Follow and "Like" our  Legacy of Valor Facebook page for inspirational and informative posts covering national and local topics concerning veterans.



SHARE YOUR STORY


Please share your experiences after visiting Patriot Plaza by sending your stories to Linda Gould at LLGouldsrq@gmail.com.

DID YOU KNOW?



Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery is available free of cost for you and the community to use for events honoring veterans.

 
Events at Patriot Plaza need to:
1) Be free and open to the public
2) Honor veterans
3) Maintain the dignity of a national cemetery

 
Download the Event Hosting Guidelines and contact John Rosentrater, Sarasota National Cemetery Director at john.rosentrater@va.gov or (941) 922-7200 to request holding an event at Patriot Plaza.

 
Click here to learn more about Sarasota National   Cemetery.

 
GUIDED TOURS  

Public tours of Patriot Plaza are conducted every Tuesday at 10am, except on federal holidays. Private group and school tours can be scheduled Monday through Friday. 

Through a partnership with The Patterson Foundation and the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, Guides are recruited from the Sarasota National Cemetery (SNC) volunteers and trained on the history and meaning of the art elements at Patriot Plaza to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of service and sacrifice.

Tours are free and open to everyone who is interested. To schedule a group or school tour, contact the Arts Education Manager for the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, (941) 365-5118, x301 or

CELEBRATING THE 
STARS AND STRIPES

On Presidents Day 2020, Abraham Lincoln gave the opening remarks of the Celebrating Stars and Stripes program. On July 17, 1862, in the second year of the U.S. Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation authorizing the creation of 14 national cemeteries. They were created "...for the soldiers who shall die in the service of the country." 

Vane Scott performed the "Many Faces of Old Glory" accompanied by the POPS orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota. 

Conductor Robyn Bell took the opportunity to meet Abraham Lincoln before the concert began

Thousands of our community came out to the performance on a bright and sunny day

Vietnam Veterans were asked to come forward to receive their 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War pin.

Thank you for your service and Welcome Home

UPCOMING EVENTS AT PATRIOT PLAZA
SARASOTA NATIONAL CEMETERY
9810 State Rd 72, Sarasota FL 34241

Memorial Day Program
Saturday, May 23 at 3:00pm
Memorial Day Moment of Silence and Remembrance
Monday, May 25 at 2:45 - 3:05


CELEBRATING THE PATTERSON FOUNDATION'S 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY 


The Patterson Foundation, 2 N. Tamiami Trail, Suite 206, Sarasota, FL 34236
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