The Arizona Coalition for Military Families (ACMF) has been honored with the Copper Eagle Award from the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society for exceptional service and leadership in support of Arizona veterans and their families.

The Copper Eagle Award acknowledges entities that have established a significantly outstanding record of support to our military, our veterans, their families, and/or their survivors to ensure that the men and women who have served in uniform or are serving in uniform will always have access to the services and support they have earned.

“We are extremely honored to receive the 2023 Copper Eagle award,” said Thomas Winkel, Director of the ACMF. “This recognition is a testament to a decade of collaboration and the dedication of our team, our partners, and our supporters who are committed to improving the lives of Arizona’s military and veteran community, and their families, through innovative programs and impactful public-private partnerships.”

The Copper Eagle Award honors ACMF and its many partners that, among others, include the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System.

The ACMF was nominated for the award by Arizona Veteran Hall of Fame (2019) member Mike Wold, LTJG U.S. Navy (Ret.). “I believe that the ACMF’s most significant contribution is that they have helped to change the conversation from one of “we must help veterans because they are vulnerable” to “as a community, we have all the resources needed so that veterans can live barrier-free lives,” said Wold.

Among the distinguished list of supporters providing letters of support for ACMF’s nomination include Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema. “Arizona Coalition for Military Families is an example of a best practice for collaboration across multi-agency resources to aid and connect Arizona service members and their families to the support they deserve,” said Senator Sinema.

Launched in 2009, with the mission of connecting Arizona’s 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families with the right resources at the right time, ACMF and its flagship Be Connected program has been recognized as a national leader for its ability to bring together Arizona’s public and private sector partners in a unified effort. ACMF is also looked to as a leader on the national stage as a best-practice model for building and growing a collective-impact model for how partners and people can come together united under the common purpose of building capacity to care for, serve and support service members, veterans, and their families.

ACMF joins the ranks of past Copper Eagle Award recipients including APS, Hospice of the Valley, Franciscan Renewal Center, Sundt Construction, Sanderson Ford, and SRP. The Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society presented the Copper Eagle Award to the ACMF at the 16th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 28, 2023.