Chapter Highlights

Arizona Chapter

The April membership meeting featured the presentation of $2500 scholarships to three ROTC cadets/midshipmen enrolled in their respective service programs at ASU. The 2025 scholarship recipients were: Navy – MIDN Andrew Varadin, Army – CDT Ashlyn Shea Williams, Air Force – CDT Leila Balsiger. Command representatives attending from their respective ROTC units were CPT Justin Briggs, USA; CAPT Kati Hill, USN; and Lt Col D. Shane Richardson, USAF.

The chapter’s scholarship program is intended to help ROTC students with the cost of their education so that they can be commissioned into the U.S. Armed Forces. The Scholarship Luncheon gives chapter members a chance to see where the money they donated to the Scholarship Fund is going and to hear from the recipients about their plans for military service.

Arizona Chapter sponsored “Still Serving: Military, Veterans and Families,” formerly known as “Freedom Isn’t Free,” on July 18th at the Anthem Civic Center. This annual project utilizes funding from our MOAA Foundation Community Outreach Grant, and we teamed with Youth for Troops, US Vets Phoenix, and Veterans First to support deployed troops, homeless veterans transitioning to independent living, and children of veterans who need help in preparing for another school year. The results of this year’s project generated:

• 50 food and 25 hygiene care packages for Arizona troops deployed overseas that were identified and mailed by Youth for Troops.
• 20 “move-in baskets” for formerly homeless veterans transitioning to independent living through US Vets caring leadership.
• 41 backpacks filled with needed school supplies for children of veterans in need that were delivered by Veterans First in time for the beginning of the school year.

Catalina Mountains Chapter

At the April 2025 Luncheon, the guest speaker was Paula Pedene, one of the primary Phoenix VA Scandal whistleblowers. In 2014, Paula became front-page news when she helped a doctor at the hospital expose the deceptive bookkeeping practices that were used to cover up how long veterans were waiting to receive medical care. She is also the co-author, with novelist Doug Williams, of the 2022 book on this scandal called A Sacred Duty.

At the luncheon, they learned “the rest of the story” that started as early as 2010. According to Congressman Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee (Oversight and Investigations), “Paula Pedene is the invisible hero whose whistleblowing pioneered exposure of a national medical care breakdown for our nation’s veterans.

Catalina Mountains Chapter presented new Dell laptops to four military veterans in early October 2024, residents of Esperanza En Escalante (EEE), and presented two new Dell desktop computers to EEE to upgrade the equipment used in the computer lab that is used by their residents.

The chapter applied for a MOAA Foundation grant, and a State of Arizona Department of Veterans Services grant to pay for the four laptops and two desktops. Grants were received from both organizations which paid most of the cost of the new computers.

EEE provides temporary housing to veterans who are in need of low-cost temporary housing in the Tucson, AZ area. In 2023 the Catalina Mountains Chapter obtained a MOAA Foundation grant and presented four laptops to four residents of EEE. As it did previously, the chapter asked EEE leadership to identify the four recipients for the new laptops.

Coronado Chapter

This quarter the chapter awarded 12 scholarships to graduating seniors from Douglas, Bisbee, Buena and Tombstone high schools. The awards were based on performance in the classroom, achievements on the athletic field, and involvement in charitable and volunteer organizations in the community. Their stelar achievements and contributions clearly shows they are the local area’s best and brightest.

2025 Scholarship Awardees

• Bisbee High School: Naveah Serrano
• Buena High School: Lena Armstrong, Addison Gulick, Andres Bonilla, Autumn Young, Malia Tom, Leonidas Johnson, and Christina Gross Buena
• Douglas High School: Carolina Badilla, Jason Hurtado
• Tombstone High School: McKenzie Mazzanti, and Kyla Gross

Coronado Chapter teamed with American Legion Post 52, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9972, and the Warrior Healing Center to organize and present the Labor Day Country Variety Show fundraiser for the Sierra Vista Veterans Memorial Improvement Foundation. The Foundation, committed to improving Veterans Memorial Park in Sierra Vista, anticipates adding 14 additional monuments along a walking path in the park, each depicting a military branch of service, a functional element of the military pertinent to the area, and significant elements in the history of the military. This one-day event netted over $2,000 for the Foundation and is just one of the recent events organized, hosted, or supported by the team for and by veterans. Organizing and supporting events like Buffalo Soldier Days, Relay for Life and most recently Vet Fest continues to heighten the visibility and recognition of the Coronado Chapter as an active, engaged and contributing member of the local community.

Grand Canyon Chapter

The chapter’s Veterans Community Outreach Program had a highly productive spring, supporting three Northern Arizona Veteran Stand Down events. Under the leadership of Chapter Volunteer Coordinator Col Rebecca Seeger, USAF (Ret), GCC members prepared and distributed food bags to homeless and at-risk veterans. Additionally, they handed out hygiene kits provided by the Disabled Veterans National Foundation to all attending veterans. The chapter also staffed an information table to share details about MOAA membership and connect veterans with other local organizations.

The first-ever Page Regional Stand Down, hosted by the Page Elks Lodge on April 23, was a great success and laid the groundwork for future events in the area. The chapter was also pleased to welcome two new members recruited during the event!

The 4th annual Verde Valley Stand Down took place on March 26 at a new venue, the Cliff Castle Casino, and drew a strong turnout from the community.

The 13th annual High Country Stand Down was held on 15 May at the recently opened Arizona State Veterans Home in Flagstaff. This year’s event set a new attendance record, highlighting the growing impact of this important initiative.

Grand Canyon Chapter has added an additional stand down to our annual support. In the last few years, we supported over 60 homeless and at-risk veterans with food bags that we purchase, assemble, and distribute at now four northern Arizona Stand Downs: the Verde Valley Stand Down (Sedona); the Sgt. Lance C. Davison, USMC, Memorial High Country Stand Down (Flagstaff);  the Twin Arrows Veterans Stand Down in memory of George Willie Sr, USMC and Navajo Code Talker; and the Matthew J. Broehm Memorial Williams Stand Down. Beyond the monetary support of our members to purchase the food for the food bags, many of our members also support their time in distributing the food bags as well as the health and wellness bags from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation. We also had a MOAA table set up at each of these events gaining two new members this year.

Green Valley Chapter

During this past program year, the chapter continued its efforts in supporting military families at Davis Monthan AFB, local community families in the Green Valley area, homeless veterans in Tucson, JROTC students at the four area high schools, and selected University of Arizona Veteran Students through support to the Veteran Education and Transition Office at the university.

They presented sixty $50 gift cards to 3 different reserve and National Guard units for Turkeys for Troops at DMAFB to enable the troops to shop at the commissary for items needed for a festive Thanksgiving dinner. They collected gifts for low-income teens at Christmas time and turned them over to the Sanat Rita Fire Department for distribution within the Green Valley/Sahuarita community. The chapter also held a food drive for homeless vets and delivered the goods collected along with clothing to the VA Hospital in Tucson. At their annual Scholarship Awards Dinner, they provided four $2500 Scholarships to deserving JROTC graduating seniors from our four area high schools and three $1,000 Educational Grants to veteran students at the University of Arizona.

Green Valley Chapter recently awarded a scholarship to a graduating JROTC student at Sahuarita High School and three Educational Grants to deserving Veteran Students at U of A.  Cadet Kevin Reyes from Sahuarita High School received a $2,500 JROTC scholarship. He plans to study aerospace engineering at U of A. Our Vet grant recipients were each presented $1,000. Destiny Rivera served six years in the USAF as an Arabic Linguist, is now pursuing degrees in Mathematics and Arabic; Eleazar Rios served 10 years in the USN as a nuclear electrician, is now pursuing a degree in chemical engineering; and Shyla Barton served two years in the USMC in intelligence (before being medically discharged) is pursuing a master’s degree in East Asian studies and the Chinese language. All are pictured with Chapter President CW3 Jack Bundy USA (Ret), and Scholarship/ Grant Director Col Marianne Rogers Faust USAF (Ret).

Luke Chapter

The Pebble Creek Men’s 9-Hole Golf Association donated $10,000 to Luke Chapter which will go to the chapter’s main initiatives: providing college scholarships to top graduating high school and continuing college students from military families; making emergency monetary grants to veterans needing housing assistance; and supporting West Valley JROTC programs at 13 local high schools.

Luke Chapter also furnished 21 college scholarships in 2025, totaling $30,000, and provided emergency grants totaling $40,000 to 19 veterans and families who needed help with rent, utilities, food, transportation and essential household needs.

At Thanksgiving, the chapter supported the Luke Air Force Base First Sergeants Association’s “Turkeys for Troops,” program which provides turkeys and gift cards to junior enlisted families in need.

Luke Chapter provided food and volunteers to Luke AFB’s annual Turkeys for Troops program for the 12th straight year. The program identifies active-duty enlisted members and their families at the base who for a various of reasons need food support during the Thanksgiving weekend. Chapter members donated over 800 packaged and canned food items and donated nearly $2,400, some of which was used to purchase an additional 200 food items. Also, the chapter donated 70 commissary gift cards totaling $2,100, which were selectively distributed along with the food items to the neediest families at the base by the 1st Sergeant’s Council. More than 200 service members and spouses, often with youngsters in tow, worked their way through the line with the provided boxes and bags, and in keeping with the program’s name, full-sized turkeys were handed out at the end of the line.

Northern Arizona Chapter

The chapter supported Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University AFROTC cadets’ participation in the Memorial Battan Death March (Pictured with the team are NACMOAA members Steve Woods, Bob Wallace, and Clyde Meade).

In March chapter members Bob Wallace and Clyde Meade were the guest speakers at the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System (NAVAHCS) Vietnam War Veteran Day Commemoration where they shared some of their experiences in Vietnam.

Most recently, in addition to awarding ROTC and JROTC cadets in the area with scholarship support, chapter members were honored to participate in the 2025 “Imprints of Honor” book signing.

Northern Arizona Chapter (NAC) chapter members has been supportive in many veteran related activities in the Quad city area which includes Imprints of Honor (formally Veterans Heritage Project), “Healing Fields” memorial setup in Prescott Valley, and Yavapai County Veteran Stand Down hosted by U.S. VETS (providing clothing, hygiene items, and support at the event). They also make weekly visits to Alta Vista Senior Living Community, Good Samaritan Society-Prescott Valley Windsong Villas, and Granite Gate Senior Living. Chapter President Clyde Meade and wife Deborah take along their Golden Retriever, Bos’n (certified Therapy Pet), to comfort and support to those at the facilities. Bos’n serves as NAC’s unofficial ambassador attending many local veteran/community events; he was especially welcome at the most recent Veteran Stand Down.

Tucson Chapternother decade.

Tucson Chapter secured a MOAA Foundation Community Grant to help defer administration costs for the all-volunteer Davis-Monthan Veteran Service Officer (VSO) office. The VSO office serves on-base active duty as well as retired veterans and their dependents in securing VA disability compensation and related benefits at no cost. Davis-Monthan’s VSO John Roseberry (pictured), an accredited VSO, has secured  over 2,300 disability claims since the office was established in 2004. John also participates in  Transition Assistance Program classes for exiting personnel.

Chapter members (pictured) with the MOAA entrant to the Tucson 2024 Veterans Day Parade. To the far left is the Submarine Veterans of Tucson’s replica of the USN nuclear-powered submarine, USS Tucson, which was to be decommissioned in 2025 but will retain active-duty status for another decade.

Yuma Chapter

In May, the Chapter presented their annual $1,000 scholarship award to the Graduating Senior Scholarship (GSS) winner, Faith Voorhies. Faith recently graduated from Gila Ridge High School. She also graduated—in parallel—from Arizona Western College with an Associate’s Degree. Faith plans to attend the University of Arizona in the Fall where she will begin her course work toward becoming a veterinarian. She enjoys working with horses and cows and hopes to help fill the growing void in that field in the future.

Yuma Chapter held its annual veteran visits at the conclusion of their Veterans Day related activities, presenting lap quilts to the 13 veterans currently residing in the four primary Yuma area nursing and rehabilitation facilities. While those conducting the visits had several very memorable conversations, they were unfortunately unable to visit with three of the veterans due to scheduled therapy appointments, doctor visits, etc. Special thanks go out to all those representing the chapter at this important event.