Our Chapter is an affiliate of 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 normally meet monthly for lunch on the third Friday of each month, except in 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, fishing trips, cruises on Sarasota Bay, 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 are our Meet & Greets, held the second Wednesday of each month at Marina Jacks in downtown Sarasota, and periodically at other locations. A casual opportunity to make new friends 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 Sarasota County Veterans Commission, in which all veteran organizations come together to support our 70,000 veterans in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.
• 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 active duty, retired, and former uniformed service officers,  their spouses, and surviving military spouses to join our Chapter, the third-largest Chapter in the State of Florida.