MOOSEHEART, IL, Feb. 12 -- Members of Mooseheart's Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) program are used to having their appearance checked.

But Thursday was different. Shoes were given that extra bit of shine. The angle of their hat was adjusted just slightly in order to be proper. The reason was the Annual Military Inspection, a moment when the corps stands as one and has its appearance examined by a high-ranking naval officer.

Mooseheart's corps was this year inspected by U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Jenkins, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserve. Jenkins, a Chicago native, was deployed during Operation Desert Storm, the 1991 war in which Iraqi forces were driven from Kuwait.

"I've been involved with a couple of different ROTC programs, including one in Chicago," Jenkins said. "Both this and the school (Taft High School) in Chicago have different challenges. How they attack those challenges and the overall good things they do for the kids is fantastic."

Jenkins said he was pleased with the appearance of Mooseheart's NJROTC corps.

"They look wonderful," he said. "You always know that some are more interested in the program and some are less interested. But almost all of them put out for this. You could see they prepared and were willing to work."

Jenkins addressed the Mooseheart students following the inspection and reminded them that the goal of NJROTC is not to make Navy recruits of them, or soldiers of any form.

Jenkins said that, as a reservist, he is a civilian most of the time. So he sees the disrespect people show each other in civilian life on a daily basis.

"When I go over to the shopping mall in civilian life, I see people treating each other not very nicely," Jenkins said. "I see them fighting over parking spots and being rude to each other, and it's sad. The attitude all too often seems to be that 'all I care about is me.'"

Jenkins said the situation is usually different when he enters an store on a base like Great Lakes Naval Station in the northern Chicago suburbs.

"I notice that people tend to treat each other with more respect," Jenkins said. "I see that people tend to say 'hello' to each other, whether or not they know each other. They tend to open doors for each other."

Jenkins said the difference is the connection those in the military feel for each other. This is the feeling he said the NJROTC program is intended to foster.

"What we want with this Junior ROTC program is that we want you to be better citizens," Jenkins said. "We want you to get a taste of our community and to get a taste of what it means to serve with someone."

Retired U.S. Navy Warrant Officer Rick Smith, who became the lead officer of Mooseheart's NJROTC program in November, escorted Jenkins through the ranks.

When he accepted the position at Mooseheart, Smith filled the void created when Cmdr. Doug Groters left in the summer. Smith served 27 years in the Navy on a variety of vessels, including four tours of duty in the Persian Gulf. He retired in June 2008.

Smith is assisted by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Ruben Hinton (Ret.). Federal guidelines for NJROTC programs require a commissioned officer such as Smith to lead the program while a non-commissioned officer, such as Hinton, may serve in the support role. And as Hinton is a Marine, the lead officer must then come from the Navy.

"I'm used to the military style where you have a lot of control all the way up to the inspection," Smith said. "You don't really have that here, but Gunny kept reassuring me everything would come together on the day and that they are preparing. Today, when I saw them, I was proud of them."

Smith reasserted that the goal is not to turn every member of the NJROTC program into a future member of the armed forces. But he said the combination of the Mooseheart Model of Care and the instruction given through NJROTC allows students to be better prepared for whatever they decide to do when they leave high school.

"The average age of those serving on a ship used to be 19 and now 20 or 21," Smith said. "There are kids like the ones we have here shooting missiles and landing planes and making the ships move I've been to boot camp and worked with those kids for three years. These kids at Mooseheart have something different in that they have the social skills. In the military, we come together after awhile and these young men and women have it already in high school."

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,900 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org, or call 630-966-2229.