Florida Convention 7-9 June, 2013



:
    The Military Officers Association of Sarasota would like to invite you to attend the Florida Council of Chapter Convention 2013 from 7-9 June at the Hyatt Regency, Sarasota.
     
   We invite you to come and enjoy our hospitality, cultural treasures, and fantastic dining.  Come early and stay longer, the hotel’s rates will remain at our low Convention rate for 2 days before and 2 days after the event. 

Attractions

 We have an amazing treasure trove of attractions. The Ringling Museum, with the Circus Museum’s Tibbals Learning Center having the world's largest miniature circus. The model is a replica of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919 – 1938. Plus, the Art collection of circus magnate, John Ringling.  In addition to the Ringling, we have the beautiful Selby Botanical Gardens with a myriad of orchids, bromeliads and other beautiful plants.  Take a Bay tour on the Sarasota Bay explorer and learn/see various kinds of plant and animal life.

     Our hospitality committee will be ready to advise you on many of the other exciting places of interest, including an array of suggestions for restaurants, some offering special promotions for our attendees.  

Uniform

      All Convention events are appropriate service uniform / Florida casual, usually with long pants and convention shirt. The military ball is formal, dark suit / military dress, etc.



For more information on the conference click on






Tarpon Run at Boca Grande Pass May 24th – 10:00 AM


May 24th – 10:00 AM
Tarpon Run at Boca Grande Pass

We will meet at the Gasparilla Island State Park on Friday, May 24th at 10:00 AM on the southern tip of the island. Sitting on the beach we can enjoy the Tarpon fishing tournament, where there are usually well over a hundred fishing boats, going back and forth in the Pass fishing for Tarpon. This is one of the most spectacular world famous fishing events, and is also the richest tarpon tournament in the world. Tarpon that are caught are measured, photos taken, and they are released back into the Pass.

Getting there: 

The address for Gasparilla Island State Park is:

880 Belcher Road, Boca
Grande, FL 33921.

What to bring: Beach chairs, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and binoculars. A small picnic cooler for beverages is recommended. $1 bills for the Boca Grande Park fee envelope. The Gasparilla Island causeway toll is $5.00 per car (covers both ways).

The Gasparilla Island State Park entrance fee is $ 2.00. Afterwards: The YAHOOs will meet at the Fishery Restaurant on the old Florida waterfront just across the causeway in Placida. The address is: 13000 Fishery Rd, Placida, FL, 33946 – Tel (941) 697-2451

Contact Lynn R. Trusal at 941-907-3732, hdlynn@gmail.com to participate, or for more information. 

Photos of last years event:

lynnsphotos.smugmug.com/Sports/Tarpon-Fishing-
May-2012/23557373_zGJ2FW





President’s Welcome



Welcome to the Military Officers Association of Sarasota (MOAS) website.  As you explore the site, you will learn about the varied activities and goals of our Association.  With 400 members, the MOAS is one of the largest and most active chapters of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)). We are a MOAA Five Star chapter and our newsletter, The Sarasota Breeze, is consistently recognized as one of the best in the country.


Founded in 1953 as the Retired Officers Club of Sarasota, and affectionately known as ROCS, we changed our name in 2003 to the Military Officers Association of Sarasota and invite all military officers; active, former, or retired, to join.


As you will glean from these pages, we meet at Michaels on East for lunch on the third Friday of each month, except in December when we hold a Military Gala.  Luncheon programs feature military oriented speakers, city and county officials, representatives of local organizations (e.g. Mote Marine Laboratories, Ringling School of Design), and entertainment showcasing the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota Ballet, authors, and many others. In short, our monthly luncheons provide something for everyone.  As you join us, you will be in good company as attendance ranges from a high of close to 200 (when the snowbirds are here) to a low of 100 during the slow summer months.

Not a luncheon person? Then the YAHOOS will surely have something for you to participate in.  The Young at Heart Officers Association holds a wide variety of monthly events. Whether it is a Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day party, a kayak trip, or a day at the Polo matches, I am sure that you will find something of interest.

But, the MOAS is far more than a social club although fostering camaraderie and keeping members connected to those they have served with and shared a large part of their lives with is certainly a major objective. We are active in local veterans’ activities and keep our members up to date on legislative initiatives at both state and national levels.  We are a member of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission.  We are also a part of the Florida Council of Chapters, with MOAS members serving as officers in the present and past.  MOAS has hosted two FCOC conventions in Sarasota.

Perhaps the most gratifying work of MOAS is the outreach work done though the Sarasota Military Officers Scholarship Fund, a 501(c) 3 charitable organization. We grant numerous $1,500 scholarships to the top applicants in each of the four Junior ROTC programs, and two or more Merit scholarships to qualifying seniors graduating from Sarasota area schools. We are currently in the process of expanding this program to assist returning veterans attending local colleges. We support Junior ROTC programs by funding special request submitted by the schools, and participate in area high school Academic Olympics challenges. For the past several years we have run a highly successful and appreciated Support our Troops program that has sent thousands of packages to deployed service members, and we will continue to do so as long as there is a need.  We are proud to have been chosen by the Community Association of Sarasota County for its Giving Partners program, and we have joined the Patterson Foundation in their Legacy of Valor initiative.

I encourage you to take a look at The Sarasota Breeze where you will find specific information about current activities.  

Thank you for your interest in our organization,

John O’Brien
President, MOAS



Goals and Objectives of the Military Officers Association of Sarasota


The Military Officers Association of Sarasota was founded to improve the awareness, life, and overall environment of its members; support and serve the citizens of the Sarasota area; and enhance the image of America’s uniformed services in our local area.
Objectives of the Association in support of its stated goals are to:

  • Facilitate the social interaction of Association members through scheduled events and Association publications and encourage member involvement in Association activities;

  • Schedule and conduct monthly get-togethers in the form of luncheons, dinners, or special events, which may also serve as business meetings;

  • Conduct an annual, formal, Military Gala in the month of December in which military customs are observed and uniforms are encouraged;

  • Attract high level civilian, military speakers and cultural representatives to both inform and entertain Association members at scheduled events;

  • Assist members with access to available health services by optimizing the authorized use of military or military related health facilities and providing up-to-date information;

  • Support individual members and their families in times of difficulty, crisis, illness, or death and serve as an information source and facilitator for those seeking help with survivor assistance and related matters;

  • Monitor and review local, state, and national legislation, pending or passed, to insure that Association members are apprised of the impact on them and their families and can act in an informed manner;

  • Represent the United States military, active or retired, at suitable local events or ceremonies;

  • Conduct a major annual fund drive to support the Association’s Scholarship Award Program, which provides $1,500 Merit and Junior ROTC scholarships to Sarasota area graduating high school seniors.  We plan to expand the program to include returning veterans attending local colleges or technical institutions.

  • Sponsor community youth and Junior ROTC programs through financial support and participation;   

  • Publish a monthly newsletter for Association members addressing local and national issues of relevance to retired and active military personnel and families.

MOAS Social Media - Start Spreading the News


Spreading the Word


Our Chapter is moving into social media. Social media is a great way to spread  the word and to attract new officers to our organization.  Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+  are increasingly used to pass the word.  We have added SarasotaMOAA to each one of these programs.

These systems will be in addition to our Web Site and The Breeze. You don’t have to use these systems but they will be useful in attracting new members to our chapter. 

Perhaps the most useful will be our Blog. The address is easy to remember:  sarasotamoaa.us.  This is the only address you need to remember - it will have the addresses and instructions on how to use the other systems if you wish to use them.  It functions something like our web site but has more frequent additions, with the latest stories on the top.  We are looking for stories and photos about our chapter.  Please send them to sarasotamoaa@gmail.com and we will post them.

Our Web Site continues to be sarasotamoaa.com. We will also add buttons on the web site to get to our social media.

We have also established a blog about our upcoming Florida Conference.  The address is:  fcoc2013.blogspot.com. And we have a YAHOO Blog:  moayahoo.blogspot.com

The systems below facilitate communication among our members and potential new members. They require sign in to use the systems. They will initially have the same information on the blog.  Over time, however, as more of our members start to use the systems we should have more people posting, which will make the systems more interesting.

Facebook        facebook.com/Sarasota.MOAA

LinkedIn          linkedin.com/in/sarasotamoaa

Twitter             twitter.com/SarasotaMOAA

Pinterest          pinterest.com/sarasotamoaa

Email               sarasotamoaa@gmail.com
       

Social Media MOAA / DOD / Armed Forces


Social marketing is expanding throughout our society. Our National MOAA organization, the DOD, and all the US Armed Forces have set up Social Media Accounts. The best way to get to these accounts is to go to our blog - that way you won’t have to retype each address - you can just click on the address.  Go to sarasotamoaa.us and click away.

      MOAA Social Marketing






DOD Social Marketing






Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines/Coast Guard/Public Health/NOAA
facebook.com/USarmy                   twitter.com/usairforce
linkedin.com/company/us-navy       twitter.com/uscoastguard
facebook.com/marinecorps            facebook.com/USairforce


Joining Forces Announces New Hiring Pledges

 
MOAA President Vice Admiral Norb Ryan, USN (Ret) was among military and veteran association leaders invited to the White House this week for a Joining Forces Employment Event. Along with Ryan, were members of the President’s Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and business and community leaders.

President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden also participated in the event.

To date, over 290,000 veterans and military spouses have found employment or received training through the Joining Forces Initiative– nearly three times the original goal of 100,000 set by President Obama two years ago.

Click to read the rest of the story.





Art at the Patriot Plaza in the Sarasota National Cemetery

Telling stories through art for generations to come

by Ann Wykell
Editor's Note: Ann Wykell is the art consultant on Patriot Plaza, the ceremonial amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery. Ann will be guest blogging about the process to incorporate commissioned art at Patriot Plaza.
Four artists are creating original art for Patriot Plaza. Each  project is very different. Each, in its own way, will engage visitors and achieve the goal of Patriot Plaza – to inspire visitors to honor the service and sacrifice of Americans who have served and their families, and inspire pride and patriotism and embrace freedom.
Each artist began their individual creative process by studying the Art Plan posted on The Patterson Foundation website that defined the goals of art and explained the themes that were to be addressed. Artists need this kind of information to be able to design something that is specific to a site. There are many places related to the military that have some kind of art. Sometimes the art in these places seems interchangeable. For Patriot Plaza, we wanted familiar themes but original ways of expressing those ideas. So we had to explain to potential artists what our project is about in more detail.
The Art Plan states:  Patriot Plaza is being developed as a space where art can tell stories to future generations.
Click to read the article on the Patterson Foundation Blog.



Art honoring our Military at the Arlington National Cemetery





Art honoring our Military



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