VMA Communications

Brothers and Sisters,

To date member units of our Association have given $763,339.36 (191%) to the Moosehaven AAA Project. We have an outstanding 70 Lodges who met their total 3 year commitment and 5 more who are very close. Please be sure to mention those Lodgesat your next District meeting and congratulate them on their achievement! This project is basically paid for so a new project will be announced at the International Convention in Milwaukee in May so let's be prepared! They are being tightlipped about it other than to say it will be something for Mooseheart once again.

As you know we have a new short-term project to raise $85,000.00 for a lift van for Mosehaven to take residents to outside Doctor's appointments. We have raised $18,797.76 so far for this project which ends on April 30th. If your Lodges have some gaming money they need to use to meet their 20% well hers's an opportunity! Please have them send their donations to Moose Charities earmarked "VMA Special Project Moosehaven Lift Van". 

It is the home stretch for Moose Charities giving to qualify for the Premier Lodge Award. We have 58 Lodges who have met their goals but remind them they still have to send in endowment every month. We have 11 more that are within $1000 or less to reach their goals. Remind them that any money they send to Moose Charities for any project counts toward their goal and that money counts toward their 20% use of proceeds from gaming so it's a win/win for them. We have some others, who owe quite a bit, who have gotten it done in the past so offer them a little encouragement to get it done again! All of this counts toward the Top Association Award so lets so the Moose who is the best!

Thank you for all do for our Association and the Moose for, without members like you, we would not be where we are today. Keep up the good work!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection March 2025)

Brothers and Sisters,

As of this date the total fraternity wide collections for the Moosehaven AAA Project is at $12,096,949.24. Of this total, the members of the VMA have contributed $761,757.94 which is over 190% of our original goal so thank all of your members for doing such a great job! We have 68 Lodges who met at least 100% of what we asked for so congratulate them as well. As of this time we are not asking for any more money for this project. 

We have a new short-term project with a goal of $85,000.00 for a van with a wheelchair lift for Moosehaven to take residents to outside doctors' appointments. We talked about this at mid-year and have collected $2440 thus far. Please ask your Lodges to give what they can for this project and make sure to earmark it "VMA Moosehaven Clinic Special Van Project" so they can get proper credit for it. This also counts toward their total Moose Charities giving for the Premier Lodge Awards and can count towards their 20% use of proceeds for their gaming money. A letter is going out soon regarding this project.

Speaking of total giving, we have 54 Lodges who have met the requirements for Moose Charities giving for the Premier Lodge Award as long as they also meet the endowment requirements. Some lodges are very close so please discuss this with your Lodges and help them reach their goals. With the 20% use of proceeds rule remind them that they can use gaming money to meet these goals since Moose Charities is a 501c(3) charity. Kudos to Districts 2, 8, and 9 for having all Lodges meeting their goals.

We hit 100% on endowment one time this year but have fallen back into old habits it seems. Please stress the fact that the money collected needs to go to Moose Charities every month. Also make sure that it gets there before the end of the month. We have some Lodges who have missed because they sent it in too soon and it shows up on the last day of the month and not the first of the month as intended. A good rule of thumb is to send something by the tenth of every month. That way it has plenty of time to get there before the end and is not too soon either.

As always, thank you all for what you do for our fraternity and keep up the good work!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection February 2025)

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

I hope everyone had a nice holiday and are ready to start finishing out the Moose year! 

We have 47 Lodges that have met their qualifications for the Premier Lodge Award as long as they get their endowment in each month. We had the one month with 100% endowment so that proved you could do it so let's work on making that the norm!

The AAA Project has hit nearly $750K which is 187% of the amount we pledged so thank you all very much! We have 68 Lodges who met their total commitment and 4 more who only need a little more to hit their total commitment. 

We will be presenting a new short Association project at Mid Year so I hope to see you there.

Thank you for all you do for our fraternity and be sure to thank all of your Lodges for all of the good things they do for our children and seniors.

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection January 2025)

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection December 2024)

Greetings Brothers and Sisters, 

Attached you will find the Moosehaven AAA Project report (Honor Roll). As of November 30 we have 67 Lodges who have met the three year goals and five more who are very close! To date we have given over $683K to this project so thank you for an outstanding job!

We have 39 Lodges who have met their per capita or $1 more goals for the Premier Lodge award and many more who are on target to reach their goals as well. To date our Association Lodges have given almost  $777K to Moose Charites so we are well on our way to breaking the one-million-dollar mark once again. So please keep up the good work in supporting our children at Mooseheart and our seniors at Moosehaven. Be sure to thank your Lodges for all they do to promote our precepts of helping others and supporting our communities.

The Endowment report will be coming soon so remind your Lodges that they need to send it in every month in order to qualify for the Premier Lodge Award. We need to keep working to make our Association the Top Association in the entire fraternity!

Bob Benjamin has been in touch with Helen Taylor at Moosehaven and there may be another opportunity to help them with a need in the near future. We will have more information at the Mid-Year Conference in January so I look forward to seeing you all there!

Thank you for all you do and keep up the good work because it is you that make it possible to do as well as we do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

Hope everyone is doing okay and getting ready for the Holidays.  Please have fun and stay safe.  Below is some information I would like to pass on to the Chapters.

1: CONVENTION - January 16th -18th 2025

        1/17 (Friday) - WOTM SESSION at 5:30pm in the main meeting room - Roll call will be taken

                              - If the A/F staff would like to practice, they may do so before or after the WOTM Session. (separate room)

        1/18 (Saturday) A/F CONFERRAL at 7:30am. This will be held in a different room then the main meeting room.  Roll call is taken 

                                          Matriculates - please pre-register if at all possible.  The Staff and Matriculates should be there by 6:30

                                                                 and others will be let into the room at 7:10 for the meeting to start at 7:30.

                                         March of Checks - This is a requirement for your Chapter and should be presented at the A/F Session Saturday morning. 

                                                                        Look on page 64 of your Officer handbook

                                                                        If your Chapter will not be present at the Convention -Please contact me on where to send the check. 

        1/18 (Saturday) BANQUET - Theme is the 50's & 60's.  I plan on being in a poodle skit and hope to see you dress up as well. 

        1/17 or 1/18 - WOTM LUNCHEON - This is open to all Women of the Moose, but you will have to purchase a ticket. 

                                        I am asking for donations of a gift card or gift for door prizes from your chapter if possible. 

Rooms came available on 11/17.

2.  RALLY DAY - March 8th in Winchester.

                Requirement for at least one (1) person to be in attendance at this meeting / fun day.

Rooms reservations should be coming out to the Chapter soon with the information of what is going on at the Lodge Friday and Saturday

Pre-registration forms will also be made available very soon with a cutoff date in February,

The Winchester Chapter is looking forward to hosting the Chapter Rally Day and has fun activities planned. 

3 - GOLDEN GAVEL- Past Regent

    All past regents are on this committee.  If you do not have a past regent ---this Chapter night & forms still needs to be done.  The board and

    past regents will handle the Chapter night with a pro-tem.

    Get your proposal in now for the Chapter night so everything can be approved. 

4 - NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS. 

        1.  Print off the Nominations, Elections and Installation handbook and read it.  If you have any questions, please ask before January. 

        2.  Get your nominating committee together in December.  This is because the first meeting in January you will announce who is on the committee

              and give the 2 dates (in January) that you will be holding your meetings.

    We will talk more on this at the WOTM Session in January. 

5. - New GRAND REGENT PROJECT.

        The new Grand Regent project for the WOTM this year is for Mooseheart.  We are trying to raise 150 thousand dollars to replace 83 kids' bedroom

      furniture and 3 living room suites.   The Checks are made out to Moose Charities - earmarked Grand Regent Project 24-25

Just a FYI - The Women of the Moose is not going away and the degrees for the women or the men are not changing.  You will hear about a recognition program that

you will be able to achieve at different levels at this year's convention in Milwaukee.  MI is going to start marketing the WOTM a lot more.

Thank you for all you do and have a Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas 

Donna

******* We are trying to update our records on the Chapters at the VMA office.  Please send me the following information 

Chapter Name

Mailing Address

Days and time your meeting are held during the month (example 1st & 2rd Wednesday at 7:00)

Donna Smith, PGCM

VMA President

VA Chapter Advocate

Greetings Brothers and Sisters, 

Attached you will find the latest reports on the AAA Project and Per Capita Giving. We have reached the halfway point of our Moose Year and are doing very well on our Moose Charities giving. 

To date we have given $676,750.94 to Moose Charites for endowment and other projects. This gives us $10.88 per capita which is above the fraternity's goal of $8.69 per member. We are also on target to surpass our giving for last year which is outstanding! Please tell your Lodges thanks for all they are doing for our children and seniors. We have 35 Lodges who have already met the requirements for the Premier Lodge Award with their giving but remind them they must also meet the requirements for endowment monthly giving. Last year we had a couple of Lodges who failed to do that part. I've included an explanation of the Per Capita Report for those of you who may be new to the position of District President. Please use it tto help your Lodges understand the report.

The Endowment report will be coming out soon so be sure to check both of the reports to ensure your Lodges are on the right track. It is because of your diligence that we are able to do so well in the Top Association Awards. This year the awards will be divided according to Association size which has kept us from being named Top Association in the past. Even though we did the best among the larger Associations the smaller Associations have had an advantage due to percentages. Let's all work together to make sure we get the recognition we deserve!

I just returned from Moosehaven and the International Chili Cookoff where our Association was well represented. The Blue Ridge Moose legion 82 team from Bassett 383 placed 3rd in the People's  Choice Award so please congratulate them when you see them! While there, I saw the place where the new recreation center will be built for the Moosehaven AAA project and they are currently clearing the site for construction to begin. To date we have contributed over $666,943.71 to this project and exceeded our goal with 166.74% of our goal reached. They are still accepting contributions if anyone needs a place to send some gaming proceeds. Remind them that this money counts toward per capita giving and will be well appreciated by the residents of Moosehaven. They are very excited about this project and are looking forward until the day they can use the new facilities.

All of this is made possible by the members of our Association, and others, so be sure to thank our members every step of the way. Thank you for all you do for our fraternity and may God bless you all!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection November 2024)

Greetings Brothers and Sisters, 

We're getting to the halfway point in our Moose year and we continue to move forward in our giving. The Moosehaven AAA Project has reached 164% of our original goal ($658,481.77) and the project is underway. The New York building has been razed and new construction on the recreation center has begun. We have 62 Lodges who have given over 100% of their goal. Moose Charities is still accepting donations to this project if anyone needs a place to send gaming money. As with any fundraising effort, that cover a period of years, cost increases may push the total needed up a little so a little extra never hurts when it comes to insuring our future!

Our Association is exceeding our per capita goals with a total of $9.57 so far. This figure helps us in our goal to be the top Association so please continue to donate on a regular basis to the endowment fund and other projects for our children and seniors. We have 29 Lodges so far that have exceeded their last year total or met the per capita requirements. So long as the meet the endowment monthly giving requirements they will qualify for the Premier Lodge Award giving totals. Let's try to make this 100%!

Speaking of endowment, there are still Lodges who are missing their monthly payments. The report will be out soon so be sure to contact the Lodges who missed and see what happened. If you need something to inspire them with let them know that Strasburg (even without a building due to fire) is still sending in endowment every month. So no one, I repeat no one, has any excuse for not sending it in.

Thank you for all you do to make Virginia a top association in our fraternity. If you have any questions feel free to call me anytime.

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection October 2024)

Brothers and Sisters,

First of all, let me thank your Lodges for completing the Moosehaven Bus Project so quickly. The bus has been purchased and the residents are using it. We went over our goal and Moose Charities should either have contacted, or will be contacting, Lodges about the overages and where the money should be applied. Please let the Lodges who sent money, who were not on the list, know that there is still money needed for the AAA Project. Once again Virginia has risen to the top in fundraising!

The AAA Project is nearly fully funded but like everything else these days there will be cost overruns so they will need a little extra. So far, we have given over 159% ($638,897.58) of what we pledged and are currently the third largest donors behind Ohio ($4,458,891.33) and Florida ($947,108.75). We have 62 Lodges who have met or exceed their goals and another 9 who have met 2 years. The old New York building has been taken down to make room for the new recreation center and construction is under way.

We have 24 Lodges who have met their per capita giving or $1 more goals so far and we stand with an Association per capita number of $7.37 to date. Remember the goal is $8.69 per member so we still have a ways to go. Remind those who have met their goals to keep giving and be sure to send in their endowment each month to qualify for the Premier Lodge award. Sadly, there are some Lodges who are still not sending in their endowment on a monthly basis so it's time to start calling them out at District meeting or on Lodge visits. Remind them once again it is not their money to use but is given to send to Moose Charities to be used as needed. The report should be coming soon so go over it and contact those Lodges on the list who are not meeting their obligations and find out why. They can pay online at Moose Charities so there is absolutely no excuse for being late. The link is HERE and can be found by clicking on the red "donate" button in the upper right hand corner of the Moose Charities website.

This year's Rudolph Virtual 5K is under way. In the past we haven't had much participation from Virginia Lodges so let's see if we can get some Lodges on board to this fun event. You can find some information HERE or feel free to give Gail a call at Moose Charities (630) 966-2200 and she will be glad to help you. Spread the word and let's put Virginia Lodges on the list of contributors! They will be recognized on Facebook, on Moose Charities' website, and in newsletters. Individuals can also form teams.

Last year we went over the $1 million mark for Moose Charities giving and there is no reason we cannot meet or exceed that number once more! Thank you all for your hard work and helping to make Virginia a top Association in Moose Charities giving. You are what makes this work by keeping the information flowing.

Thank you for all that you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Chaplain and Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection September 2024)

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection August 2024)

Great news everyone so please pass this along! Thanks to your generous donations the Moosehaven Bus Project is fully funded! Thank you to everyone who donated.

You have been so generous there is extra money left over that can be used for other projects. Since Moose Charities is only allowed to put the money you sent in toward the specified project, they will be contacting donors, whose money exceeded the limit asked for to find out where they would like that extra money to go. You can donate it to the Moosehaven AAA Project, items on the wish list, endowment, or anything else you care to choose. Be sure to pass it on that the project is finished and any money earmarked for that project received from now on will have to go somewhere else according to Moose Charities rules. If someone's name is not on the list it means the goal was reached before the money got to Moose Charities and they will be contacted on where they want the money redirected.

Please review the per capita giving numbers and help your Lodges reach their goals. We have 21 Lodges who have already met their goals but remind them they must still send in endowment each month. Sadly we still have some Lodges who are not sending endowment each month. Time to stop playing around. Tell them the money is not theirs and must be sent in to Moose Charities in a timely manner. It is so simple to submit that there is no excuse for not doing it every month.

The AAA Project is doing very well but is still short of the overall goal for the entire project so please let your lodges know they are still accepting donations. We have hit nearly 156% of our goal so please thank your lodges that have contributed so generously. We still have 2 on the BROWN list so remind them that it is part of our mission to support Moosehaven!

Again, Virginia is the best when it comes to caring for our children, our seniors, and our communities.

Thank you for all that you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection July 2024)

Greetings Brothers and Sisters! 

Attached are your Moose Charities reports for the first month of the new year. We already have 3 Lodges who have met the qualifications for the Premier Lodge Award! What a great start. Unfortunately, there are quite a few that missed endowment the first month and you will see that on the report from Charles Carter. Remind your Lodges what I said at mid-year about those that miss endowments. There is no reason whatsoever that endowment should not be sent in every single month. But enough of that, let's focus on another record setting year for the Lodges of the Virginia Moose Association and keep those donations coming in for our children and seniors.

We currently stand at over 150% of our goal on the Moosehaven AAA Project with over $600,000.00 donated so far. They are still about $1.5 million short of the total they are looking for so any donations you have to spare is still needed to complete the project. We have 60 Lodges who have met or exceeded their 3 year goals! Please thank them for all of our seniors.

Speaking of projects, as you may or may not know, we have a new short term project for Moosehaven for a 15 passenger bus for the residents. Our goal is $120,000 by the end of July. If you have some proceeds from gaming you need to donate here's your chance! The bus is needed because their drivers with CDLs are getting some age on them and a CDL is not required for buses of this size. The busses they have been using are much larger and getting old like their drivers! By the way, Ohio has already bought one so we need to get ours up and running with our name on it to keep our name out there!  When sending money to Moose charities for the VMA Moosehaven Bus Project be sure to earmark it as such ("VMA Moosehaven Bus Project")to insure proper credit is given. This money also counts toward your per capita/$1 more giving to Moose Charities!

I have also included the new Moose Charities giving goals for this year. The per capita has gone up to $8.69 per member and the amount need for each lodge to reach that can be found in column H on the report. Some have a better chance reaching the $1 more so the last column shows the amount need on the easiest way to reach the goal. Just make sure everyone sends in the endowment each month because last year we had lodges that met the monetary goals and did not send in their endowment enough months.

I want to personally thank each of you for your hard work and help in making Virginia a top association in Moose Charities giving. Our children and seniors rely upon us to take care of them and that's what we do! 1please keep up the good work!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection June 2024)

Brothers and Sisters, another year is in the books! We had a great year in Moose Charities giving! As an Association our Lodges gave a total of $1,136,745.59 to Moose Charities. We had 71 Lodges who gave enough to qualify for the Premier Lodge Award by either giving $1 more than the previous year, by meeting or exceeding the per capita of $6.75 per member, or both. Unfortunately, there may be some among them that missed too many endowments to qualify which is a shame. The endowment will be out soon so we can be sure of the qualifiers. Either way it was still an outstanding year for our Association! We did so well in fact, that the per capita for the coming year throughout the fraternity will jump up to $8.69 per member! Given what we did this year it should be no problem for those who make their giving totals through per capita. As a whole I've already gotten word Moose Charities collected over $17M for Mooseheart and Moosehaven and we had a big part in that. Please keep up the good work and thank those Lodges who went above and beyond the mark we set at the beginning of the year. I will have the new goals ready to go shortly to get everyone started on the right foot.

On the AAA Project (Honor Roll), we have gone over the $600K mark which is over 150% of our goal. The project still needs about $2M more to reach the $10M goal set in the beginning so if any of your Lodges would like to contribute more   they are free to do so. Please thank everyone for their contributions and support. I was at the groundbreaking in March for this project and it is currently in the permitting stage so it is moving along nicely. Demolition of the New York building will make way for the new rec center and the other parts of the project will proceed as the permits come in. The residents are very thankful to everyone for their contributions and can't wait to use the facilities that are being built thanks to members like you!

We also have a special project coming up for a Moosehaven bus that we will be putting out soon so stay tuned!

As always, thank you for what you do for our children and seniors! May God bless you all!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection May 2024)

Brothers and Sisters,

Attached are the latest Moose Charities reports for the Moosehaven AAA Project (Honor Roll Report) and All Giving. As it stands all units of Virginia have given a total of over $596K to this project, far exceeding our $400K goal. Outstanding! Please be sure to thank everyone who has contributed and remind them they can still give to help reach the $10M goal. Also let them know that Ohio has given over $3M and we can't let them get all of the credit! LOL I was fortunate enough to be at the ground breaking for this project last month and the biggest question from the residents at Moosehaven was, "When will this be finished? We want to live long enough to enjoy it!". So it is up to us to get it done by making sure the money is there when it is needed. Who knows, we may be the ones using it in the future!

Also attached is the Per Capita All Giving report. We have 66 Lodges who have qualified for the Premier Lodge Award on Moose Charities giving of $1 more or meeting the per capita amount of $6.75 per member. We have some more who are very close to reaching their goals so let them know what they need to give this month to do that. Some of them are assured of having a plus one in membership and it would be a shame to miss the PLA because of Moose Charities giving. Also remind your Lodges that endowment each month is also important and they need to send that in as well. 

And here is the big news! For the first time that I know the Lodges of the VMA has contributed over ONE MILLION DOLLARS to Moose Charities! Give yourselves a big pat on the back because we never would have hit that number without all of your help. Thank you so much for all you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection April 2024)

Greetings to all,

I would like to thank each and every lodge, chapter, district and Moose Legion that have made donations, and many generous donations, to the Children's Hospital of Richmond Foundation.  Any amount, large or small, is truly appreciated. 

I would like to request moving forward that your donations be sent to the VMA Office for forwarding to the fund.  There is a very specific address, and unless the checks are made out properly AND sent to the correct address, they either have to be sent back to the issuer, or applied as they are made payable to.

Please make checks payable to:  Children's Hospital of Richmond Foundation

And mail to:

Post Office Box 1063

Bedford, VA  24523

Your checks will immediately be forwarded to the charity, and ensure credit to the intended fund.

Fraternally,

Dennis Harlow

VCU Children's Hospital Chairman

Virginia Moose Association 

Brothers and Sisters,

We currently stand at $583,069.31 (145%) on the Moosehaven AAA Project with almost a year to go. I attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Moosehaven this week and things are moving forward on the new recreation center. The residents are excited and grateful for everything we do for them. So far over $7 million has been raised on the $10 million project. Ohio leads the way with over $3M given so far, Florida is 2nd with about $650K (they haven't hit their pledge yet!), and we are in 3rd place. There is still money needed to complete the project so if your Lodges have any gaming proceeds to donate this is as good a place as any. We have 58 Lodges who have met their 3 year goal with 5 Lodges who have given over 400% of what we asked for. There are still some Lodges struggling to give and that's ok but if they have gaming that money has to be spent so what better place than our future retirement home!

On the Premier Lodge requirements we have 57 Lodges who have already met the giving requirements (some have missed too many endowments however) and three more who need to give less than $100 to qualify. It is crunch time with less than two months to go! So, if you have Lodges that are want to meet the requirements and receive their PLA then they need to step it up. Remember they can use gaming money to make donations to Moose Charities and can donate to any number of programs including the AAA Project. We need as many Lodges getting their Premier Lodge Awards as possible to help in our quest to be Top Association so spread the word! It takes all of us working together to make this happen and keep our future bright!

All units combined in our Association have given over $122M to Moose Charities this Moose year so let's keep the ball rolling and take care of our children and seniors the best we can! Thank you for all you do and may God bless you all!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection March 2024)

Brothers and sisters, first let me say THANK YOU! For the first time since I've held this position as Moose Charities Chairman, the Virginia Moose Association has passed the one million dollar mark in Moose Charities giving. And it is all because we have members who care. Please be sure to let your members know how special they are and how much their efforts are appreciated when it comes to supporting our children and seniors. 

The contributions to the Moosehaven AAA Project have reached $545,345.09. We now have 56 Lodges who have met their three year commitment with actually a year left to go on the three year project! Outstanding! Please let these Lodges know how much their contributions are appreciated. We will be breaking ground on the project at Moosehaven on March 5th to get things started but money is still needed so let's keep the ball rolling and show the fraternity we are the top association when it comes to caring!

We have 53 Lodges who have met their Moose Charities giving of $1 more or per capita towards receiving their Premier Lodge Award. It is getting toward crunch time with only two and a half months to go. Please look at the report and help your lodges meet the goals so they can qualify. Remember they can use gaming proceeds toward achieving this goal. We have 13 Lodges who owe less than $1000 to meet the requirements and it should be achievable for many others. Also remind them they need to make sure endowment is sent in each month. Remind them that anyone who does not send in Endowment between now and our August Convention will be called out when I give my report and asked to explain why they didn't send it in on time. This is not a threat, it is a promise they should heed! 

Also remind Lodges about the Rocker Fund for Moosehaven. They should all be selling the rockers in their Social Quarters. Make it fun and have competitions between Lodges in your Districts. Last year we only took in around $12K so I challenge them to double or even triple that! It's a great way to allow your members, who don't come to meetings, to contribute to the endowment fund.

One more thing, the annual Moose Charities fund raiser "The Blessing of the Bikes' is coming up in May. If you have Moose Riders in your District this is a great way to raise a little money for Moose Charities. They don't have to go to Mooseheart to participate. Registration is now open so they can register their team on the Moose Charities website and have a virtual ride to raise the money. It's a great way to put the fun in fundraising!

As always thank you for what you do for our children and seniors. You are the ones who keep the wheels rolling and the money flowing! 

I've included PDF and Excel versions of the reports for your use. Thank you for what you do and let us work together to continue to make Virginia the number one Association in the fraternity!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection February 2024)

Brothers and Sisters, 

The members of Virginia are truly amazing! As of December 31, 2023 the members of Virginia, all units combined, have given nearly $850,000.00 to Moose Charities and its various programs. Of that total, $536,528.15 has gone to the Moosehaven AAA Project (Honor Roll List) and exceeded our goal of $400,000.00 by over 34%. We have 55 Lodges who have met their three year goal and some who gave over 400% of what was asked of them. I am overwhelmed with the generosity of our members when it comes to giving and thank each and every one of you for helping make this possible. But don't stop now! There are still funds from gaming that need to be donated somewhere so let's continue to keep it in our Moose family by contributing to things like the AAA Project, the Mooseheart and Moosehaven wishlist on the Moose Charities website, and our Endowment fund, because together we make a difference in the lives of others.

We have 45 Lodges who have met their per capita or $1 more to qualify for the Premier Lodge Award and others who are very close. Please remind all of your Lodges that they still have to send Endowment in every month and not to wait until the last minute to send it. As long as they send something by the 10th of each month they will be fine. It's very simple, either send it by check (earmarked for Endowment) or pay it online on the Moose Charities website under "Donate" (in the upper right hand corner) Fraternal Unit Endowment. Sadly, we have Lodges who miss Endowment that give generously to other projects and would otherwise qualify. Don't let this happen to your Lodges!

I've included PDF and Excel versions of the reports for your use. Thank you for what you do and let us work together to continue to make Virginia the number one Association in the fraternity!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection January 2024)

Brothers and Sisters! 

We have hit the $500, 000.00 mark on the Moosehaven AAA Project  (Honor Roll List) and it is is thanks to the generosity of the members of the Virginia Moose Association and all of your hard work! They will be breaking ground on the new building in March but there is still money to be raised. If your Lodges are looking for someplace to put their use of proceeds for gaming there is no better place than Moose Charities to help the programs at Mooseheart and Moosehaven!

We have 37 Lodges who have qualified for the Premier Lodge Award with their Moose Charities giving and many more who are close. This is outstanding given we are only a little over halfway through the Moose Year. So let's keep up the momentum by reminding our Lodges to send in their endowment every month and continue contributing to the various Moose Programs. We have a Moose Youth Awareness Congress in Virginia in 2024 and contributions to Moose Youth Awareness count towards Moose Charity giving when sent directly to Moose Charities and earmarked for that program. As a reminder, have your Lodges be sure to earmark their checks for where they want them applied and be sure to send endowment in by the 10th of the month. Endowment is recorded on the date received and some send it at the end of the month and it arrives too early or too late depending upon which month it was supposed to count. We'd hate to have someone miss out because of something as simple as that.

Thank you for all you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection December 2023)

To All:

Mid-Year Conference 2024  will be held January 18th-21st, 2024.  We will again be in Hampton, Virginia, and offering four different locations for housing for the event.  

All meetings of the convention will be held in the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

Reservations will be open on Monday, November 13th, beginning at 8 a.m.  All information, to include online reservation links, call in numbers and codes for the Moose rate will be on our website at virginiamoose.net, -About the VMA-Conferences and Conventions. 

Please note important information listed below: 

LODGING RATE: Will be $124.00 net rate plus tax. Per night

DEPOSIT POLICY: You must pay for a one-night deposit at the time of reservation. The deposit is refundable if canceled at least 14 days before arrival. You will forfeit the first night's deposit if canceled less than 14 days before arrival. (The Association is not responsible, nor can we assist in regaining deposits in the event you do not cancel in time)

CHECK-IN POLICY:

Check-in time for all hotels is 4:00 pm

Early Check-in:

EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL: check-in before 2 pm will require a fee of $25 per hotel policy.

The Courtyard does not have a specific price-as rooms available; they will check people in, but rooms are not guaranteed until the hotel check-in time.

Hyatt Place charges $20-$40 based on the time needed to check-in.

Holiday Inn Express- If someone needs to check in early, they will do their best but not guaranteed.

Thanks

Robbie Robertson

Convention Manager

Virginia Moose Association

434-607-5726

Robbie.robertson51@gmail.com

Jim Ragland

Assistant Convention Manager

804-747-8439

Brothers and Sisters,

Attached you will find the Per Capita and AAA Projects (AAA Honor Roll) reports for the period ending 10/31/23. We are doing well with 33 Lodges already qualified for the PLA through their Moose charities giving. Remember that the year is at the midway point and some Lodges are behind where they should be at this point. If the total in the last column exceeds the amount already given then they need to step it up if they wish yo qualify for the Premier Lodge award. Remind them they can use proceeds from gaming to increase their Moose Charities giving and the AAA Project is a good place to start! Also remind those that have already qualified that they still need to send in Endowment each month.

We have hit over $460K on the AAA Project but we shouldn't slow down now. Let's keep it up and make the $500K goal by mid-year in January! We still have some lodges who have given nothing and others that have given very little. Remind them that with the gaming regulations that they must give away 20% of their electronic money and this is a good place to give!

Thank you for all you do and keep up the good work for our children and seniors. Remember that Moosehaven is the lowest cost retirement plan you will ever find!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

VMA Official Communication from Communications Chairman, Bonnie Kidwell (Communication Connection November 2023)

Brothers and Sisters,

Attached you will find the latest Moose Charities total giving and Moosehaven AAA Project reports (Moosehaven AAA Honor Roll). Please look over these reports and use them at upcoming District Meetings or on your Lodge visits to let your Lodges know where they stand. As of September 30 we have hit our goal of $400,000.00 on the Moosehaven AAA project but let's not stop there. I'm challenging our Lodges to try and hit the $500,000.00 mark by next convention. Just to let you give them an example, Ohio has pledged $2 million and have already hit ¾ of that mark. Their Association is similar to ours in size so what's stopping us? With the 20% use of proceeds we are required to give there should be some extra money out there somewhere. I want to recognize Middlesex Lodge for giving nearly 500% of what was asked of them with only 315 members so please be sure to use them as an example! Sadly there are still five Lodges who are on the Brown list for giving nothing and a few more just above it. I know some Lodges struggle but if they have electronic gaming then they have to give some of that money away. Let's remember giving begins at home!

Our Per Capita numbers are looking good at around 85% of what we need to give to meet the $6.75 amount per member and we have 20 Lodges who have met the Moose Charities giving qualifications for the Premier Lodge Award. Just remember, they still have to send in the Endowment each month as another qualification and some have been lacking in that department. Stay on top of thins and remind your lodge frequently to sent it in.

Thank you for all you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

Brothers and Sisters,

Attached are the Per Capita and Moosehaven AAA Project reports as of 8/31/23. Please note these totals on the AAA Project do not reflect any money given at our recent convention. When those totals are added in we will be very close to reaching the $400,000.00 commitment we made in less than two years. What I am asking is that we try to go a little extra and make it to $500,000.00. If the Lodges who have not yet reached their goals do their part and the rest kick in what they can this should be no problem. Just to give you an idea of what I'm asking of you, the Ohio Moose Association has committed to a promise of $2,000,000.00 and have almost reached their goal. In fact they have already given around half of all money collected for the project so far. Once the project is complete our Association will be recognized as one of the top donors, as they were on the recently completed MAC Project at Mooseheart, with a plaque on the wall showing our total. With our new gaming use of proceeds requirements let's not forget our seniors at Moosehaven. Who knows, any one of you may be using these new facilities one day and you will be able to say, "We did that!". Please pass the word and let's get this done!

On the per capita we have 13 Lodges who have met either the per capita amount or $1 more and many more are very close. Please be sure to remind lodges that even if they reach one of those requirements they still need to send in endowment every month to qualify for the Premier lodge Award. We have some Lodges who are forgetting this on a regular basis and it needs to stop. That money is collected on behalf of our children and seniors and is not theirs to keep. It must be sent to Moose Charities in a timely manner. There is absolutely no excuse for not doing this given they can do it online in a matter of minutes. Please go to the Lodges who are not doing this and find out why. Time is crucial for some since there are quite a few that have already missed the max. I'm counting on your help to get this done!

Also while you're at it get them to form a team for the upcoming Rudolph Run virtual 5K. It's easy to do at the Moose Charities website and every Lodge should have received an email on how to get it done. Let's show the other Associations that we truly know how to take care of our children and seniors by showing our support for this fun activity. There are different donor levels that bring different levels of recognition. Once again let's use some of the proceeds from gaming and keep the money in house by donating to Moose Charities!

As always, thank you for what you do to make our Association the top association in the fraternity!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

Brothers and sisters,

Attached you will find the Moosehaven AAA Project and Lodge Per Capita Report. We have 12 Lodges who have met the Per Capita or $1 more giving to Moose Charites already! Just be sure to tell them to continue sending in their endowments on a regular basis to qualify for the Premier Lodge Award. Use the last column on the report to help Lodges know how much they need to give to qualify for the Premier lodge award. If you divide that number by the number of months left in the Moose Year it can give them an idea how much they need to give monthly to meet their goals. 

43 Lodges have given their full commitment or more to the AAA Project which is outstanding! Be sure to thank them for their generosity. We have met 88.7% of our goal with over $354,950 collected. Let's try to hit $500K by January at Mid-Year. With the new use of proceeds percentage for electronic gaming Lodges need a place to put that money. Why not keep it in house and give to Moose Charities? Who knows which one of us might need that security in the future?

Thank you for all you do and I'll see you in a couple of weeks in Hampton! If you have any questions come to the Moose Charities Table at convention and I'll do what I can to help!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

Brothers and Sisters,

I'm looking for volunteers interested in helping out at the Moose Charities Table at the upcoming convention. If you would be interested in helping please let me know. The times are Thursday from about 3 PM-6 PM and Friday- Saturday from 8am until the meeting starts, after the morning meeting until the afternoon meeting, and after the meetings until around 5-6pm. Volunteers should have some knowledge of the various programs of Moose Charities but it is not required!

Also anyone wishing to donate a basket to raffle for Moose Charities please let me know ahead of time so I can make sure to have the tickets and such available. Proceeds will go toward the Moosehaven AAA project. If we can get a few people to help we can spread out the work.

Thank you!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

Brothers and Sisters,

Attached are the Moosehaven AAA Project and Moose Charities Per Capita reports as of 6/30/23. As of that date we have given over $350K of our $400K commitment to the AAA Project. We have 43 Lodges who have already given their 3 year commitment and 19 more who have given at least one year's worth. Great job for those who have been giving to this project. We have reached over 73% of our goal in less than two years so I want to up the ante! Ohio has pledged ONE MILLION $ and I see no reason we cannot reach at least 1/2 of that at $500,000.00. I'm asking you to get the word out about this and, given our need to give away 20% of electronic gaming proceeds, see if our Lodges can step up to the task. I know we can do it because we have done it before on other projects over the years. We were the #2 Association in the fraternity for a reason and part of that reason is our big hearts when it comes to helping children and seniors.

We also have 10 Lodges who have already met the monetary requirements for the Premier Lodge Award (as long as they make sure to send in Endowment every month) and many others who are very close! Unfortunately, we have a couple of Lodge who have contributed nothing and there is no excuse. I'm asking all District Presidents to remind their Lodges that the money they collect for Endowment is not theirs to use any way they see fit. It is a liability that must be sent in to Moose Charities when it is collected. Be sure your Lodges understand this simple fact.

We are off to a great start this year for Moose Charities giving so let's keep up the momentum. We have a proud past in Virginia when it comes to giving and the future looks bright as long as we keep it up!

Thank you for all you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

For your information; These updated policies  were adopted at the Annual Convention held 8-20-22. The policy titled "Executive Committee Nominee" added paragraph 2, the policy titled "Nominee for Association Elected Office" corrected language in paragraph 1 and the policy titled "District Petty Cash" was new.  The remaining policies adopted 6-24-21 remain in effect.

Thanks.

Artie Ransone

Just a reminder that submissions for the Memorial Book are due in by Friday, June 2.  Next Friday!  As of today, I have only received 30 of the 84 expected.  Due to scheduling events between now and State Convention, no late entries will be accepted.

The office will be closed the following days in the upcoming month: 

Monday, May 29th.

Thursday and Friday June 1st and June 2nd

Thursday and Friday June 15th and June 16th. 

Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend!

Paula

VMA Office

Brothers and Sisters,

It's time to start thinking about your Moose Charities giving for the 2023-24 Moose Year. We had a great year last year with 74 Lodges meeting or exceeding their goals. Let's see if we can get everyone on the list for Premier Lodge Awards this year by meeting our new goals. The per capita amount this year has increased to $6.75 per member. Some lodges will make this and more. Others will try to give at least $1 more and that's ok too. We are happy to accept anything your Lodges are willing to give to help our children and seniors. I've attached the new report with the new numbers. Everything is pretty much self explanatory but if you have any questions do not hesitate to call. The number in the last column is the easiest path to qualify for the premier Lodge Award. If you divide that number by 12 it will give you a monthly amount to use as a goal. Please share this information with your Lodges and get them on the path to success. We have a proud past in the Virginia Moose Association as the first Association formed in the Moose. Let's make a bright future for our children and seniors by giving whatever it takes to meet our goals.

Thank you for all you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

540-353-4645

Brothers and Sisters,

First of all I would like to thank everyone for their hard work this year. Thanks to you we had 74 Lodges this year who met their $1 more or per capita giving goals and qualified for the Premier Lodge Award for Moose Charities giving. All together Virginia Lodges gave nearly $700K to Moose Charities (excluding Safe Surfin money). The members of the VMA, Lodges, Chapters, Moose Legions, and others gave over $900K. This is outstanding and couldn't have been achieved without your hard work and dedication. Please review the attached report and give credit where credit is due to your Lodges.

On the Moosehaven AAA Project we are well on our way to meeting our $400K goal with a total of over $294K (73%) given. We have 61 Lodges who have given at least one year's worth and 38 of those have already met their three year goal! We still have a few on the brown list so let's help them get out of the brown and into at least the bronze before year end! 

Let's send out reminders to our Lodges to send in their endowment on a monthly basis, participate in the Cradle and rocker funds, and keep the AAA Project rolling along. Let's be proud of our past but keep working toward a brighter future and show the fraternity which Association has the biggest heart!

Thank you for all you do!

Fraternally,

Don Ridenhour

VMA Moose Charities Chairman

Moose Charities Board Member

540-353-4645