The Pikes Peak Veterans Council and community partners are hosting a downtown event on Friday to honor veterans. It will feature live music and help with housing, health care and other support services. 

The event will bring together more than 50 nonprofits offering services that can sometimes seem disjointed, particularly for those in need of help. 

“Despite strong services and a large veteran population, too many veterans remain disconnected from the networks meant to support them,” said event organizer Khristopher Thomas Sr., a housing case manager for Homeward Pikes Peak.  “Fragmented systems and limited collaboration often leave veterans navigating challenges alone, and in some cases, that isolation has cost lives.” 

He hopes the event will bring together the veteran community, their families and supporters to help build a sense of connection, said Thomas, who is a veteran in long-term recovery. 

“I’ve seen how connection fosters opportunity, stability, belonging and renewed purpose,” he said. The event is planned to take place annually. 

The event will feature local bands Rafiel and The Room Shakers, known for blues rock, motown, jazz, and funk, and Hip-Hop is Dead, a cover band that plays The Grateful Dead as well as Hip Hop and R&B. The keynote speaker will be Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center’s Bob McLaughlin. 

Veterans can expect help finding housing and enrolling in Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare, as well as connections to peer support networks, recovery resources and crisis navigation services. Event organizers expect between 150 and 300 people. 

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the Meanwhile Block, 114 W. Cimarron St. A social hour will start at 10 a.m. The colors will be posted during a ceremony at 10:50 a.m.