Chapter History:

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The Phoenix Chapter (designated as AZ-092) was founded on 24 May 1934. It was the first MOWW Chapter to be established in the state of Arizona and would serve as an MOWW recruitment source for the four other chapters that would follow and that now operate in the state. The initial expansion of additional local chapters over time was used to form the three Chapters in Maricopa County and one in Tucson area, which helped facility and develop the fifth Chapter in Santa Cruz County (Green Valley, Arizona). We established a "cadre" (MOWW smaller group of fellow companions leading up to the establishing of a more robust Chapter with its own organizational operational charter) for the former Montezuma Chapter in Prescott, Arizona which failed to recruit enough additional members to advance to a full chapter. The Phoenix Chapter then focused on the middle of Maricopa County using the cities and school districts in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Carefree, Anthem, Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills. As there were no operating MOWW Chapters north of this area, the Phoenix Chapter assumed responsibility through existing High School Junior ROTC program support for schools in Prescott, Flagstaff and the five Native American Indian schools on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. We also assumed support of other public, charter and private schools in our areas of responsibility. This is all part of our efforts to support the Military Order’s Motto: “It is Nobler to Serve than be served.”

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Chapter Focus and Activities:

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Our Community support activities includes; participation in Veterans Day activities at Carefree, AZ; Armed Forces Career Officers Day, Pearl Harbor Day, and Memorial Day activities in the general Phoenix metropolitan area. Our areas of most community support focus include; a variation of National Outreach Programs - specifically Patriotic Education-related (PE) activities like; ROTC, Junior ROTC, Scouting, Veterans Affairs and Law & Order initiatives / projects. Our concentrated seasonal support efforts are mostly with PE activities. Some examples include; support of the annual multi-day Arizona Youth Leadership Conference (AZYLC) Summer Program each year and our signature MOWW Massing of the Colors (MOC) ceremonial event venue.

 

Chapter Services and Membership:

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As a primary central local MOWW Chapter AZYLC program partner, our collaborative efforts reflect the continuous investment in youth education opportunities provided to deserving student scholars from all youth leadership and development groups, organizations and programs (Scouting, ROTC/JROTC, Naval Sea Cadets, Young Marines, Civil Air Patrol, and National Honor Society to name just a few of our supported youth leadership partner programs). Our Massing of the Colors event includes both Veteran and Civic Organization participating Honor and Color Guard team participation, where each represented organization / program members and representatives carry their organizational flags and banners. We participate in the Veterans Heritage Project and have 22 members in their History books. We have had 20 Chapter fellow companions inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame to date. We support Veteran activities across the state, support all state National Memorial projects and support our four sister chapters’ MOC events and activities wherever possible, along with providing ceremonial wreaths or National Color contingents as appropriate. Our membership and participation has declined in line with the age of our members, making recruitment of new younger members of paramount importance in our recruitment efforts. We encourage the families and the youth groups we support to help us recruit with the programs we provide to the general public. Our current strength, though not robust in numbers, supports all our programs with 78 living members. Our goal is not only to increase and replenish our Chapter membership ranks but to also increase participation in our supported activities as well. Our Chapter community service activities continue to grow, as our current Chapter Outreach Programs continue to expand, especially in those community service areas where our support can help establish and/or augment current activities.