MOAA Heart of America Chapter

Great discussion today with Chris Kuehl about our economy! 2021 meetings are all scheduled for in person as of now. Look forward to seeing you at one of our meetings this year. Our next meeting is February 27, 2021 at the DAV in Independence.

Fundraising Effort Underway to Support Wreaths Across America 2021 Wreaths sponsorships made through Greater Kanas City chapter of the Association of the United... States Army now through January 15,2021 will be matched! Kansas City, MO 01/11/2021 Local volunteers are working hard to ensure that all veterans laid to rest at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Leavenworth National Cemetery, Longview Funeral Home & Cemetery, Johnson County Memorial Gardens, and Missouri State Veterans Cemetery are honored next December on National Wreaths Across America Day. Now through January 15, 2021, any $15 wreaths sponsorships received through the Greater Kansas City chapter of the Association of the United State Army sponsorship group will be matched by Wreaths Across America. Each wreath sponsorship is a meaningful gift of remembrance from an appreciative American who knows what it means to serve and sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy, said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. We are so grateful to the Greater Kansas City community for participating in our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach. https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/23217/Overview/

As of today, we are still planning to have our luncheon on August 22nd. The DAV Hall has taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of those attending events at their venue. There have been no known cases of the virus being transmitted at their facility. Temperatures are taken and social distancing and masks are required. That having been said, whether we go ahead with the meeting will be contingent on whether any new prohibitions are ordered by the Kansas City government ...and/or we have sufficient attendance to make the luncheon viable. In order to determine what attendance will look like, we request that you RSVP with Emma or Davd Toops as soon as possible but no later than Monday, August 17th. If you are on the permanent list and do not plan to attend, please let them know also. They can be reached at 913-967-9745 or you can email them at [email protected]. Our speaker will be Dr. Chris Kuehl. We anticipate having our newsletter out this week with additional details. In spite of all the precautions being taken, we ask that you not attend unless you are completely comfortable doing so. Thanks and stay safe and healthy. Jerry

At present, we are still planning to have our annual picnic at the DAV Hall on Saturday, July 25th. Whether we actually have the picnic will depend on how many members plan to attend. It will be helpful if you could contact Terrie Fox by Monday, July 13th only if you plan to attend. On Saturday, August 22nd, we are planning to have our regular luncheon meeting with guest speaker Dr. Chris Kuehl. It will be great to get his perspective on the economy now and going forward. We ...will publish a newsletter for August which will contain additional information. On Saturday, September 26th, we are planning to have our regular luncheon meeting with a speaker from MOAA National who will be paying a Chapter visit. At present we do not know the name of that individual but will provide more information in our September newsletter. We are planning to have our regular luncheon meetings for October 24th and and November 21st with speakers to be announced at a future date. We are planning to have our Holiday Party December 5th. All meetings are subject to further review based on safety considerations. Jerry

Terrie Fox has been coordinating with Dean at the DAV Hall regarding our Annual Picnic. Due to on-going concerns about COVID-19, we are rescheduling this event to July 25th. We will keep you posted on the details or any further changes. Our annual visit to the VA Hospital may also have to be rescheduled. We will keep you posted regarding that event. ... Even though we have been pretty inactive since February, two scholarships were awarded to students in area JROTC programs. More information about who they were will be included in our next newsletter which will be in August. Dr. Chris Kuehl has offered to be our speaker and will address the economic consequences of the virus and more recently,the protests. MOAA National will be sending a representative to visit our Chapter in September or October. If you have not gotten around to paying your dues for 2020, please consider doing so now. It is the only significant source of income for our Chapter and will be greatly appreciated. The form and address to mail it to is on the last page of the newsletter. The last newsletter, which was February of this year, can be accessed at our web page which is www.moaahoa.org. Please continue to stay safe and healthy. Hope we can gather again soon. Jerry

To honor and thank all the Missouri healthcare professionals, first responders, military members, essential personnel and volunteers on the frontlines in the fi...ght against COVID-19, #TeamWhiteman will perform an #AFFlyover across several Kansas City area and local medical facilities on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. The #AirForceSalutes flyover will include a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, four T-38 Talons and two A-10 Thunderbolt lls. Keep an eye out for the timeline and flight path of the flyovers that will be released next week. Remember to tag us in your photos and videos and add #WhitemanSalutesKC, so we can share them on our pages!

Happily I have not heard of anyone in our Chapter or family or friends being infected by COVID-19. Linda suggests we read the linked article in the forwarded message below to learn how we can continue to keep ourselves safe. https://www.linkedin.com//saving-your-health-one-mask-time On another subject, we are looking into moving the Picnic from June to July. I am also looking into Chris Kuehl speaking at our August meeting to give us his take on how our economy and the worl...d economy can recover from this disaster. Of course, all future gatherings will be contingent first and foremost on safety. Thanks and continue to be safe and stay healthy. Jerry

The Stay at Home order was extended to May 15th by the Mayor of Kansas City. We have already cancelled our April meeting and will now have to cancel our May 16th meeting. We remain hopeful we will be able to proceed with our June picnic. In the mean time, please remain safe. Jerry

I hope this email finds you and your family safe as we work through this terrible health and economic crisis facing our nation. It goes without saying we will not be meeting on April 25th given the latest stay at home orders. We will not have an April newsletter since there will be nothing to report. If something of interest does come up, you will be advised by email. We will evaluate whether we will have a May meeting at the end of April. If you have any information you thin...k might be of interest to our members, email it to me and I will further disseminate it by email. One last reminder. Our Chapter's ability to function is totally dependent on your dues which is our only significant source of revenue to support our budget. If you have not yet paid your 2020 dues of $20, please consider doing so when you soon will be receiving a reminder letter. Thanks in advance for your support. Please continue to pray for our families, friends, medical professionals and our nation as we battle this terrible scourge. Be safe, Jerry

We have cancelled our March meeting. We will evaluate the Covid-19 situation closer to the April meeting’s scheduled date to determine our plan for that meeting. Wash your hands! We hope to get together again soon.

https://veteranonthemove.com/rob-hughes-kmbc-and-kcwe/ This week's featured guest on Veteran On The Move is our good friend and local media personality, Rob Hug...hes! 1LT(P) Rob Hughes is a currently serving KS National Guard Soldier and through his professional and personal efforts is very well-connected and supportive of the GKC military-support community. Check out his story in this podcast, hosted by Joe Crane.

Love this support for our Veterans!!