Hello chapter members , Happy New Year and please read on as I detail a few of last year’s accomplishments as well as look ahead as we celebrate 2026 and our nation’s 250 Anniversary.

Last year our chapter greatly expanded our JROTC outreach as we added six new units, five schools in Pueblo and one in Canon City.  We now support 17 JROTC programs as well as the ROTC program at UCCS.  Last April, at our Annual ROTC/JROTC Recognition Luncheon, all JROTC schools received a stipend check for $ 300 and a graduating senior from each school received a $ 1,000 scholarship during each schools’ spring award ceremony.  Several chapter members participated in the 18 award ceremonies at locations in Pueblo , Canon City and, Colorado Springs.

Another major event was our chapter’s participation in the Annual Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) that was held at the Air Force Academy on Sep 13.  We  partnered with the Southern Colorado Retiree Assistance Office (RAO) and provided funding to ensure that all 350 military retirees had a hot breakfast and enjoyed the event that featured more than 50 vendors, medical wellness checks and, guest speakers.

Looking ahead, I’m pleased to announce that our chapter has decided to recognize America’s 250 Anniversary in a very special way.  Since our support of the JROTC programs is such an essential part of our community engagement, this year the stipend given to each JROTC program will have an added bonus of $ 250 so each program will be receiving a check for $ 550 at our April ROTC/JROTC Recognition Luncheon.

Finally, the chapter will be undertaking a major recruitment effort in the coming year.  As most of you know, most volunteer non-profits are losing members and facing “ageing out” challenges.  MOAA has recognized this problem and has provided data on some 4500 local contacts who are MOAA national members but not necessarily affiliated with our chapter.  Our membership team will be using this data to validate our membership database and, hopefully, identify and attract new members for our chapter.

As always, we welcome your feedback and active participation so that the Pikes Peak Chapter continues to excel.  Looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!

God Bless,

Felix Uhlik, President