Chapter 1100 of AARP is getting started again after being inactive since March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. Chapter officer vacancies are being filled, activities are being planned like a picnic in July and informational programs are being scheduled. We are looking forward to bouncing back from the pandemic stronger than ever.The January chapter meeting featured two special presentations, after the traditional buffet lunch and a short business meeting. The first featured Martha Lovell, who discussed The Honor Flights of Southern Colorado, which honors the service of all military veterans. The Honor Flights to Washington D.C. are conducted as a way of saying thank you to all veterans, regardless of military branch or length of service, who have been honorably discharged. The three-day all expenses paid trip is arranged through The Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, a local nonprofit 501c3 charity.Veterans interested in participating in an Honor Flight and individuals who would like to volunteer to assist in this worthy cause can contact Martha Lovell at 719-232-9803 or visit their website at https://honorflightsoco.net.Ray Rozak provided a handout with a comprehensive list of emergency kit items suggested for individuals to have in their car when they travel. He noted several recent situations where people were stranded for many hours on major roads because of weather or traffic conditions without even the basic survival items of food or water. †The lists Ray provided and more information on the Honor Flights are available on the chapter activities page of the Chapter 1100 website at https://www.aarpchapter1100blackforest.com.Chapter 1100 meets the second Wednesday of each month at noon in the Fellowship Hall of the Black Forest Lutheran Church, 12455 Black Forest Road. †All ages are welcome. Come visit one of the meetings.In the past year, the IRS reached a processing backlog of 35 million returns, making it one of the ìmost challenging yearsî for the agency. Erin Collins, the National Taxpayer Advocate, warned that the processing delays could be ìas bad and potentially worseî this year, with the backlog of 8.6 million individual income tax returns, 2.8 million business returns and 5 million pieces of unanswered mail as of mid-December. IRS call hold times extend to hours, often resulting in a dropped call or message to call at a different time.
