SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – The Venice Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) recently presented Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program with a generous donation from its Veterans Fund. The donation was presented to C.J. Bannister, Goodwill’s director of the program.
“As an organization committed to helping veterans each and every day, we at Goodwill are thankful for those who are invested in improving the lives and futures of those who have served our country,” said Goodwill Manasota president and CEO Bob Rosinsky. “On behalf of those we serve, I sincerely thank the MOAA Venice Chapter. Their generous donation will be put to good use to help the veterans in our community.”
MOAA Venice Chapter learned about the work of the Veterans Services Program when Bannister spoke at its November meeting at Pelican Pointe. They have since invited Bannister and Rosinsky to speak at the national MOAA meeting in Orlando later this month.
“Once we learned about Goodwill’s work with veterans, it was not difficult to make the decision to support the program,” said Marjorie Loria Healey, the chair of the Veterans Fund of MOAA. “We believe that veterans give their all in their service to our country and deserve to be taken care of in their time of need. We are hoping that, in this way, we are helping to make their lives a little better – we are confident Goodwill will put the funds to excellent use.”
MOAA is the nation’s largest and most influential association of military officers. It is an independent, nonprofit, politically nonpartisan organization with about 370,000 members from every branch of service. The Venice Area Chapter of the MOAA was organized and chartered on May 17, 1975. Its current membership consists of 48 retired officers, 39 associates (spouses), and 13 auxiliary (widows of officers), for a total of 100 members.
Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program connects veterans with necessary social services, provides emotional and physical support, offers free employment services, and distributes funds for emergency needs through its SERV (Special Emergency Resources for Veterans) program. For more information, go to experiencegoodwill.org or call (941) 355-2721, ext. 451.
About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and philanthropic donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities and other barriers to employment by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. In 2015, Goodwill Manasota served 22,739 people, placed 961 people in jobs and assisted 358 veterans as they reintegrated back into the civilian workforce. Goodwill Manasota’s economic impact back to the community is worth $81.3 million. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce-reuse-recycle movement and this past year diverted 41 million pounds out of the landfill. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota is accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota, in essence, belongs to this community and is not owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org.