Retiree Appreciation Day draws crowd Published Oct. 31, 2014 By Diane Kofoed 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Approximately 350 military retirees and other interested attendees gathered Oct. 24 at the Hope Hotel's Richard C. Holbrooke Conference Center for Retiree Appreciation Day. The annual event was designed to better inform retirees of their retirement benefits and current legislative issues. "I feel Retiree Appreciation Day was a success," said Paul Moore of the Retiree Activities Office who helped organize the event. Speakers from the Wright-Patterson Medical Center, the Dayton VA Medical Center, Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force Sergeants Association and the Cleveland chapter of the Defense Accounting and Finance Services presented information for retirees. "The speakers were both informative, and some of them were rather entertaining," Moore said. Approximately 50 vendors and booths were on site to meet with retirees to provide further information. Organizations represented included Social Security representatives, the Dayton VA, various local assisted living facilities, and several different clinics from the Wright-Patterson Medical Center. "Clearly organizations see (Retiree Appreciation Day) as a great opportunity," said Moore. "We had more organizations expressing interest in participating than we were able to accommodate." Retiree Appreciation Day was organized by the Retirees Activities Office, which seeks to share information of interest to all military retirees, spouses, widows and widowers throughout the Miami Valley. Volunteers are always welcome to join the Retiree Activities Office team to work with other volunteers and active military and civilian personnel. Volunteers should be retired military or dependents and no less than 18 years old. For more information on retiree events or to volunteer, contact the Retiree Activities Office at 257-3221.