The MOAA Foundation hosted a charity dinner March 23 at Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., to raise funds for and awareness of the foundation’s Crisis Relief program, an effort to aid members of the wider uniformed services community facing hardship regardless of rank, time in service, or disability rating.

“We know, there are over 12 million veterans that do not have a VA disability rating,” said MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), in his opening remarks. “This is where The MOAA Foundation’s Crisis Relief program comes into play and where we can step in to help fill this gap. And though there are no easy total solutions, we know The MOAA Foundation can make a difference for those in need.”

The Crisis Relief program assists veterans, active duty servicemembers, and their families, including survivors, in crisis situations, such as natural disasters, by providing emergency grant funds to approved applicants. The goal of this program is to provide meaningful aid to members of the uniformed services community in their time of need.

[DONATE: MOAA’s Crisis Relief Program]

Launched in 2022, the Crisis Relief program awarded over $65,000 in grants to 105 qualifying applicants within the first four months, including veterans who suffered devastating losses due to Hurricane Ian in Florida and severe flooding in Eastern Kentucky.

Stand-up comedian and military spouse Ashley Gutermuth emcees a March 23 event at Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., to raise awareness and funds for MOAA's Crisis Relief program.

Military spouse, comedian, and social media influencer Ashley Gutermuth hosted the night as emcee for the event. Gutermuth, who has appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and has racked up more than 250 million views for posts across multiple social media platforms, “was the perfect choice to emcee this kick-off event,” said Amanda Centers, MOAA’s vice president of Development. “She’s a military spouse who understands how critical it is to help our military and veteran community, and she shares our commitment to help those who need it most.”

Derek Herbert, acting executive director of Business Transformation Services within the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Office of Business Integration, received the first MOAA Charities GEN Walter “Skip” Sharp Patriotic Service Award at the event, honoring Herbert’s dedication to improving the veteran’s user experience with the VBA claim lifecycle. The award was presented by Kelly, Sharp, and Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, USMC (Ret), The MOAA Foundation’s board chair.

The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding support for the uniformed services community through innovation, collaboration, and/or relentless dedication that goes above the call of duty.

“There’s no one more committed to this community,” Centers said of Sharp, “and we hope to make you proud.”

Sharp served as the chairman of The MOAA Foundation’s board of directors before he became MOAA’s chairman of the board in 2020.

Special guests at the dinner included VA Chief of Staff Tanya Bradsher, VA VSO Liaison Kimberly Mitchell, and Hy Hetherington, CEO and managing partner of event sponsor HLP Integration.