Our Chapter is affiliated with the Military Officers Association of America, the largest and most effective lobbying association in the country. We are a very active chapter, as you can tell if you browse through our web site. We meet at the Bird Key Yacht Club for lunch on the third Friday of each month, except May and September, when we have dinner meetings, and December, when we hold our Annual 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, the Pops Orchestra, authors, and many others. In short, our monthly luncheons provide something for everyone. You need not be a member to attend.
Not a luncheon person? Then YAHOOs will surely have something for you. The Young at Heart Officers [YAHOO] holds a wide variety of events each month. Whether it is a Super Bowl or a St. Patrick’s Day Party, a kayak trip, a day at the Polo matches, the Army-Navy football game, bowling or our annual picnic in the Philippi Park, we’re sure that you will find something of interest.
And, then, there is our Meet & Greets, held the second Wednesday of each month at Marina Jacks in downtown Sarasota. A casual opportunity to make new friends over a beer or two overlooking beautiful Sarasota Bay. It is not uncommon for a member to take you out in the Bay before the Meet & Greet.
While fostering camaraderie and sharing good times may be the reason many of us joined the Chapter, we are much more than a social club. We are active in our community - making an impact on veterans’ issues and giving back to our community.
We are a member of the Florida Council of Chapters (FCOC), an organization of 44 Florida MOAA Chapters with over 10,000 members.
Most importantly, we serve as a communications link, a Veterans' Voice, between our local veteran community and our state and national MOAA affiliates, advocating for the rights and the benefits of veterans of all our military services.
Our Foundation is active in sponsoring community events, granting scholarships to local high school students, providing educational financial aid to our returning veterans and promoting patriotism and respect for our flag in our elementary schools. To date we have sent more than 50,000 care packages to our deployed troops in the Middle East.
We welcome all uniformed service officers and their spouses to join our Chapter, the third largest Chapter in the State of Florida. We are affiliated with the Military Officers Association of America, the largest and most effective lobbying association in the country.
We meet at the The Bird Key Yacht Club for lunch on the third Friday of each month, except in May and September, when we have an evening dinner and December when we hold our Annual Military Gala. Our luncheon programs feature military oriented speakers, city and county officials, representatives of local organizations, and entertainment showcasing the the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota Ballet, authors, and many others. In short, our monthly luncheons provide something for everyone.
Not a luncheon person? Then our YAHOOs will surely have something for you. The Young at Heart Officers [YAHOO] holds a wide variety of monthly events. Whether it is a Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day party, a kayak trip, fishing in the Intercoastal, a day at the Polo matches or the Army-Navy football game, I am sure that you will find something of interest. And, then, there is our Meet & Greet, held the second Wednesday of each month at the Marina Jacks in downtown Sarasota.
Our luncheons and dinner events always include a speaker for the purpose of educating our attendees on current events and topics of mutual interest. The range of topics is vast. We have professors from the Naval War College discuss drone technology and the growing threat in the South China Sea, medical experts on PTSD and the latest research on coronary heart disease. Senior flag officers have discussed the importance of the Coast Guard to our national defense and motivational speakers on the lessons learned in the Vietnam War. The Sarasota County Sheriff has discussed local crime challenges and the conductor of the Pops Orchestra has discussed the process of assembling an orchestra and preparing for a performance.
Many of our members are interested in legislative issues impacting their veteran and retirement benefits. No better place to stay current than to read our newsletter The Sarasota Breeze. Everyone enjoys reading the Medic Tent articles by our own Dr. Minken, formerly head of vascular surgery at John Hopkins. Stay informed and become a member of our Chapter.
MOAS is far more than a social club! While we foster camaraderie and keep members connected to those with whom they have served and shared a portion of their life, we are active in local veterans’ activities also. We are a member of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission and are also a part of the Florida Council of Chapters (FCOC), with MOAS members serving as council officers both past and present. MOAS has hosted two FCOC conventions in Sarasota. Most importantly we have our own Foundation, the Sarasota Officers Military Foundation, a 501c3. We support our veteran community through scholarships to supplement the GI Bill, award scholarship to local high school seniors and we administer the American Flag Initiative curriculum in Sarasota and Manatee county elementary schools. We sponsor community wide events at Patriot Plaza on Flag Day, Veterans Day, and President's Day, in which thousands attend. We are active in our community and true to our motto - Never Stop Serving.
We serve as a communications link and a Veterans' voice between our local veteran community and our state and national MOAA affiliates, advocating for the plights, the rights and the benefits of veterans. We keep our members up to date on legislative initiatives at both the state and federal level. Our voice is heard in Tallahassee and Washington DC on legislative issues and policies that impact you and our Veteran community.
So how do we keep our members up-to-date on legislative issues and initiatives??
•	Our award-winning, 5-Star chapter newsletter, The Sarasota Breeze.
And how is your voice heard in Tallahassee and Washington DC on legislative issues impacting military veterans and their (your) families??
•	Your MOAA Take Action Network - Your microphone to advocate for military veterans and their families.
•	MOAA's Annual Storming The Hill - Legislators hear your call, welcome MOAA Stormers", listen and vote!!
•	Our MOAA 2018 Legislative Results - What we did in 2018 with your help.
•	Our MOAA 2019 Legislative Goals - What we will do in 2019 with your help.
Learn more about us by reading our award-winning newsletter – The Sarasota Breeze.
We welcome our members to volunteer for leadership positions and to join committees to give back to our members, veterans, and our community. Please call any one on our leadership team to learn more.
MOAS is an award-winning affiliate of MOAA and the FCOC, having received MOAA ‘s Five Star Award for Excellence, the highest-level award by MOAA, for the Sarasota Chapter's activities 2004-2007 & 2009-2018.