09/10/2026
Greetings Fellow New England Patriots Fans,
In 2006, three guys—Paul, Cody and Duane—were watching a Pats game at Will’s Sports Bar in downtown Colorado Springs. There, they decided to start an official fan club…and they called it Pikes Peak Pats.
By the end of the 2007 season, I was President.
After nineteen years of amazing experiences, dizzying highs and heart-wrenching lows (okay, not so many of those!), I am finally stepping down as President of the Pikes Peak Pats Football Fan Club.
Starting with the first game this year, I am incredibly proud to announce that Tanya Charbonneau will take over as President. I have no doubt that she will do a fantastic job. Alan Rainville will continue as Vice President. The club is in very good hands.
I’ve been involved with the club since 2007, the second year of its existence. Along the way, all of the individuals who found us at the Fox and Hound (and some other bars!) have allowed me to meet some of the most amazing, authentic, fun, diehard and passionate fans I could ever hope to know.
We’ve been through 9 AFC Championships, 4 Super Bowl losses, 3 Super Bowl wins, and countless heart-stopping games together.
There is nothing like being in a room full of fans who talk like you; who don’t say “on the Cape Cod,” but “down the Cape”; who don’t plan vacations in the fall unless it’s a bye week; who live and die by the next Patriots play; and who experience victories with an energy that is impossible to explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced it firsthand.
More importantly, this club has brought together so many people from such diverse backgrounds, and in doing so, has personally enriched my life and helped shape the person I am today.
More than just fans, this group has been like family for all of us.
For that, I am so grateful. I am grateful to our three co-founders for giving me the chance to be the leader of something for which I have had such a tremendous passion.
I am proud of what we have achieved over these 19 years.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of members. Tens of thousands of dollars raised for numerous charities. The biggest of them all, and the one that was most important to us all, was the Pikes Peak Region Peace Officer Memorial.
Losing Officer Garrett Swasey was a difficult and heartbreaking moment for his parents, his family, and also for the rest of the club. His loss touched all of us deeply. Our postseason charity fundraiser was always in Garrett‘s name for the Peace Officer Memorial. Through the years we raised over $65,000 for the memorial.
How awesome was it that we had a postseason charity that we could raise money for almost every year because, let’s face it, we were almost always in the Postseason.
We had three of the most memorable AFC Championship parties ever. And most of all, we created hundreds of connections and friendships, commiserated through the losses and celebrated the triumphs with some of the best people a team could ever hope to have as its fans.
We were so very blessed to have had an unprecedented 20 years with a man who is truly the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Along with an unbelievably talented coach.
It’s the things we do that bring us all together in friendship that make the world a better place. I like to think the Pikes Peak Pats have always done their job in that department.
I can’t possibly list everyone who has been such a huge part of the core group. I would be afraid to start mentioning names, only to realize I had left someone out.
So, to everyone who showed up week after week; climbed a ladder to hang banners, flags, pennants and signs; washed the tablecloths; sold raffle tickets; was in charge of the volume in the room; cut cakes; dished out ice cream; contributed canned goods for Care and Share; brought toys for Toys for Tots; collected dues; acted as secretary or treasurer; sold squares; greeted soldiers coming home with Homefront Cares; piped when the firefighters came into town; helped set up and take down massive parties in Denver and tailgates at Mile High; helped load and unload my car; traveled to Foxborough with us…I’m sure you can see where you all fit in as an invaluable member of the PPP.
For all of that, I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing your passion, your faith, your energy, your loyalty and your love for the team with me—and with each other.
Many thanks to the presidents of clubs all over the country and some from different parts of the world. It is amazing how many people I have become friends with because of the Patriots. To all of my fellow Presidents of clubs…keep up the great work.
No thank-you letter would be complete without thanking Mr. Kraft and Stacey James for their unfaltering generosity and the kindness they have shown us so many, many times. They are both an integral part of some of my most exciting memories. It can never be stated enough how lucky we are to truly have the G.O.A.T. of owners.
And last, but certainly not least…
I want to thank my partner in crime, my husband, Kevin, who has always helped me with virtually everything I’ve ever wanted or needed to do. He’s the best DJ and Vice President of Events we’ve ever had, and the best jack-of-all-trades a girl could ask for.
None of what the club accomplished would have been possible without the best husband in the world by my side.
Let’s Go Pats, now and forever.
Patriotically Yours,
Anne M. Stone
