MILITARY BALL/FUNDRAISER BENEFICIARY

Collier County High School Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)

  • 8 high school programs: Barron Collier, Golden Gate, Gulf Coast, Immokalee, Lely, Naples, Palmetto Ridge, Aubrey Rogers
  • Over 800 cadets
  • MOASWF sponsors an Annual Awards Banquet honoring the outstanding rising junior from each high school JROTC program
  • Funds raised will focus on recognition and on un-funded and underfunded extracurricular activities designed to build leadership, discipline, teamwork, and physical fitness:
    • Raider Challenge (coed teams compete in obstacle courses, rope bridges, and 5K physical fitness relays)
    • Drill Team (focus on preparation, precision, and discipline, competing at county and state levels)
    • Color Guard (presenting flags at school assemblies, athletic games, and community events)
    • Air Rifle and Archery competitions
    • JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (tests cadets’ knowledge of core curriculum, current events, and leadership principles)
    • Community Service
    • JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (summer program where cadets spend several days in outdoor leadership scenarios focusing on orienteering, rappelling, and team building)

Critical Dental Care for Southwest Florida Military Veterans

  • Lee County has over 60,000 military veterans. Collier County has almost 28,000.
  • Many of these veterans are in need of critical dental care.
  • According to the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund (WVRF), 85% of wounded and disabled veterans who are enrolled in the Veterans Administration (VA) do not receive VA dental care.
  • Many of these veterans cannot afford dental insurance.
  • This critical dental care program is not for routine or cosmetic care–rather, it is for critical dental care which, if left untreated, can lead to more serious health conditions.
  • MOASWF partners with the WVRF to identify veterans in need of critical dental care, to arrange for them to receive it, and to pay the dental provider directly. According to WVRF, the average cost/veteran of this critical dental care is $5,353.
  • Veteran eligibility requirements:
    • Be a U.S. Military Veteran with any discharge status other than dishonorable
    • Be a Florida resident living in Florida
    • Be at 300% below household Federal Poverty Guidelines
    • Not qualify for VA Dental Care
    • Be in need of critical dental care
  • As one veteran who received critical dental care through the MOASWF/WVRF partnership put it: “They saved my life!”