As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you find joy and connection with family and friends. We at MOAA remain grateful to the men and women who serve, and have served, our country. Your sacrifices and selfless service, along with those of previous generations, make it possible for us to enjoy our freedoms and way of life.

Throughout the year, I have been privileged to serve as your president and CEO and have witnessed the incredible support for our uniformed services community from individuals nationwide. Thanks to the efforts of MOAA’s charities — The MOAA Foundation and the MOAA Scholarship Fund — we are able to empower and support our community to navigate many of the challenges faced by so many throughout this past year, regardless of rank or branch of service.

The impact of our charities is remarkable, but we need your support to continue making a difference.

The MOAA Foundation and MOAA Scholarship Fund rely on the commitment of MOAA members and other compassionate supporters to help us deliver on our promise to Never Stop Serving. As an association of officers, MOAA is honored to fulfill our duty of caring for all who wear or have worn the uniform, and their families, across all ranks and uniformed services. We hope all our members embrace that same honor and obligation.

The MOAA Foundation provides critical support services to veterans in crisis situations as well as award-winning resources and education that prevent servicemembers from falling into crisis. This year alone, through MOAA’s Career Transition and Financial Education programming, we conducted  nearly 200 in-person and virtual outreach, networking, and hiring events with over 25,000 veteran and currently serving participants. The MOAA Foundation was also able to provide Community Outreach Grants to 50 MOAA chapters across the country, totaling over $100,000 in support of local community charitable engagements. And through our ongoing Crisis Relief Program, the MOAA Foundation provided nearly $450,000 to families in need of urgent emergency support. 

In addition, the MOAA Scholarship Fund has made it possible for students to achieve their dreams of pursuing higher education. Over the past 75 years, the MOAA Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $160 million in educational assistance to over 17,000 students in all 50 states – all made possible by donors like you! For the 2024-2025 academic year, we awarded $10.8 million in interest-free loans and grants to over 1,000 students.

Every donation, no matter the size, improves the lives of those who serve, and those who have served,  our country and their families. In honor of Thanksgiving and the upcoming Giving Tuesday holiday, I encourage you to make a donation today. If you have already contributed to the foundation or scholarship fund, I thank you deeply and encourage you to help spread the word about our year-round efforts.

Thank you for your support. From the entire MOAA team: Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones, and our deepest gratitude to the men and women serving overseas this holiday.