Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee
(The following is information
excerpted from an email to chapter Presidents).
The purpose of this letter is
introduce you to MOAA's Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee.
When MOAA's Board of Directors
approved formation of the Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee in March
2004, it took a big step forward. The purpose of the committee is
to help focus more national attention on meeting the needs of MOAA's
68,000 auxiliary members and to encourage them to play a more active
role in MOAA and especially in our chapters. The committee's
primary role is to advise the
Chairman and the Board on these matters. It is composed of six
MOAA auxiliary members. Members are: Carolyn Epling (Chair)
from Albuquerque, NM; Margery LeTourneau, Alexandria, VA; Jennifer
McCollum; Jacksonville, FL; Paula
Muth, Bellevue, NE; Anne Patton, Encinitas, CA, and Violet Smith,
Clearwater, FL.
The committee is charged with the
mission of examining current and potential MOAA programs, plans, and
policies as they relate to the "three R's" -Recruitment, Retention, and
Representation of the interests of, and the providing of services to,
MOAA's auxiliary members.
Upon receiving our charge we all
agreed - what a big responsibility! We weren't quite sure how to
begin, but determined to meet the challenge, we jumped in with both
feet. Once appointed, we pooled our considerable energies and brought
the committee to life! First, we elected our Chair, Carolyn Epling, and
then created an operational framework. We determined what the group's
initial tasks should be and assigned them according to different
member's skills and interests. Keeping in mind those three R's, we
focused on developing programs to
Recruit, Retain and Represent auxiliary members.
We also identified the need to create
a Survivor Outreach program. Over the past year, countless hours have
been spent tracking down the names of all military officers who have
been killed in the War on Terror. We have enlisted the volunteer help
of numerous Councils and Chapters in contacting surviving spouses and,
recognizing the sensitivity involved, to offer support. Additionally,
we are assisting MOAA with a new publication for survivors called
"Turning the Corner." The new guide will be published within the next
month.
Another identified task was that of
raising the visibility of auxiliary members to MOAA's membership.
Our initial efforts include writing columns for "The Affiliate." These
columns will appear regularly and will cover a variety of topics. We
also hope to publish items in the "Military Officer" magazine from time
to time. So look for us in these publications. Yet another
task is to develop an Auxiliary Outreach program. To this end we hope
to work with MOAA chapters wherever they are located. Sample letters of
welcome to the spouses of new members
have been composed as well as letters of condolence to spouses of
regular members who have died. These letters are posted to the
Chapters and Council Resources portion of MOAA's Website at
<http://www.moaa.org/controller.asp?pagename=comm_chapters_resources>.
Chapters can utilize these tools to
encourage these spouses to consider themselves as part of the MOAA
family and to retain their auxiliary memberships if they should lose
their spouse. Another important element of Auxiliary Outreach
will be to encourage
auxiliary members to become actively
involved in MOAA's legislative efforts and personal affairs. Auxiliary
members can have an enormous impact on legislation, especially if the
issues are survivor related. For an illustration of this important
point, read on.
This year, for the very first time,
MOAA invited The Auxiliary Committee to "Storm the Hill" with Council
Presidents and Board members. We were honored and delighted when the
invitation came. It certainly proved to be a red-letter day for us. The
key issues were repeal of the SBP-DIC offset and moving up the
effective date of paid-up SBP. This was the first time some of
us had visited the Hill as advocates
for important legislation. But our visits went splendidly and we were
well received by legislators and staff alike. They appreciated hearing
directly from survivors who are victims of the SBP-DIC offset. Nothing
illustrates these issues better than hearing personal stories. We
received many fine compliments from our "Storming" partners. At the end
of a very long day, we were tired, but excited and upbeat and we are
looking forward to storming again next year.
We've spent hours and hours on our
goals and plan to spend many more. As we go forward, other issues will
arise and we will adapt as necessary. Meanwhile, we will continue
to concentrate on the three R's. The committee is delighted to be
a part of the MOAA team and we will do our best to fulfill our
charge. We are looking forward to working with you and assisting
you in your role as Chapter President. We encourage you to ask an
auxiliary member in your chapter to establish and maintain a link with
our committee. A mailbox for the committee has been established at
auxiliarycommittee@moaa.org. We hope that together we can
accomplish great things.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Epling, Committee Chair
Margery LeTourneau
Jennifer McCollum
Paula Muth
Anne Patton
Violet Smith
