As we look ahead to the promise of a New Year, it is important that we look to the character of our community as a building block to our future. Without question, Colorado Springs is a military town. This is not diminished as we focus on drawing new business and economic growth, or work to expand flights out of the Colorado Springs Airport, or as we grapple with the impact that our growth is having on the availability of affordable housing.

Along with these efforts, our commitment to our military connected residents must remain strong. With 33,000 active-duty service members at our five local bases and 98,000 veterans who, along with their families, call El Paso County home, we owe our thanks and support to these brave men and women. The character, pride and tradition of their presence permeates through our churches, businesses and schools. When the impact of their military service creates challenges for them, it is in our own best interests that we connect with them and help them find creative solutions so they can achieve the highest levels of self-sufficiency and contribution as possible. With nearly 200 military/veteran oriented nonprofits in Colorado Springs, there is no lack of good will and passion to serve this deserving group.

At the forefront of support for these selfless servants is a group of passionate organizations, both public and private, that call Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and Campus home. They come together in a single location to make it easy for those in need to access the support they deserve, without the burden of traveling to multiple locations throughout the city during stressful times.

The core of the Campus is a 16,000 square foot Center where over 30 local agencies coalesce to serve these heroes and ensure their many successes; this core is complimented by a second building that is home to Operation TBI Freedom, a program of Craig Hospital, serving the needs of veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center is also home to County Department of Human Services and Veterans Service Office staff, as well as a representative of the city of Colorado Springs and is a busy satellite office of the Pikes Peak Workforce Center. Through partnerships with the Veterans Administration, Mt. Carmel staff is helping to alleviate the wait for Behavioral Health Counseling and providing supportive and emergency services to those in the direst of situations. Several other nonprofit agencies, such as the USO and the Pikes Peak Justice & Pro Bono Project, also provide programming and one-on-one support at Mt. Carmel.

No single organization can alleviate all challenges our military and veterans face as a result of their selfless service to our nation, whether it is the federal, state, county or city governments or the most acclaimed private entity in our community.

The needs of these service members and veterans are often complex and persistent, requiring the support agencies, both public and private, to set aside boundaries of their own organizations, focus on the individuals in need first, and use an integrative process to identify the best solutions possible.

Ranked the second best city in the United States for veterans, Colorado Springs can be proud of this on-going collaborative approach to supporting our military community. We set ourselves apart from others by the value we place on our veterans and active-duty personnel alike, and will do well to never forget that these men and women represent the true backbone, and the future, of Colorado Springs.