May 27, 2016
By Michael Day, Fellow Alum
When I left the United States Marine Corps as a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom it took me time to navigate the civilian landscape, but I eventually obtained degrees from Northwestern University and Columbia University. However, graduating at the height of the economic downturn was less than fortuitous.
May 20th, 2016
By Vanessa Thomas, Fellow Alum
As our nation honors military service and sacrifice on Armed Forces Day, I find myself thinking about one veteran in particular: my father.
He served 24 years in the United States Air Force. We were constantly on the go, moving eight times throughout my childhood. It wasn’t always easy, but the older I got, the more I understood that being a Master Sergeant wasn’t just a job for him, it was a purpose. The example he set ignited something within me too. While many of my classmates were dreaming of growing up to be a doctor, lawyer, or professional athlete, I had something different in mind.
I wanted to serve.
May 17, 2016
The Mission Continues is taking on a decidedly bluer hue this month (if that’s even possible). Our logo, thanks to the continued support of FOX Sports Midwest, is emblazoned on the bench of St. Louis Blues hockey team.
Continue reading “FOX Sports Supports Brings The Mission Continues to Primetime”
May 16, 2016
By Stephanie Grimes, City Impact Manager
“How’s the new job going?” is a question I have answered no less than 50 times in the last month, as I recently took on the role of City Impact Manager in Pittsburgh for The Mission Continues.
Over the years, I have lived in a lot of places and been in lot of roles. After graduating college, I moved to Philadelphia where I taught middle school as a Teach for America corp member.
A year later I married my husband, who was in the Army. We moved from one duty location to another for the next four years. I found meaningful work in a number of jobs supporting high risk youth, had a child of my own, endured a few deployments, and in 2011 I finally ended up in Pittsburgh upon my husband’s discharge from the Army.
Truth be told, we had never even visited Pittsburgh before making the jump. We crossed our fingers, told ourselves that we could make it through anything, and made our way through tunnels and over bridges to our new home. In the years following my husband’s transition from the military, our family fell in love with our new city of Pittsburgh.
Continue reading “How I Found a Job I Love with The Mission Continues”
May 11, 2016
One of our Fellows from Delta Class 2013 is coming out with his very own documentary film, We Call Her Yolanda. As a US Marine Corps veteran, Tony Bari was drawn to serve with Team Rubicon in response to the Super Typhoon “Yolanda” that struck the Philippine islands in November 2013. Tony was part of a large scale international relief effort, bigger than he had ever seen before. Tony’s film is the first to follow up with the survivors two years after the storm, highlighting a community of people who know what it means to be resilient.
Continue reading “How Fellowship Alum Came to Direct His Own Documentary”
May 8, 2016
“Mom, they don’t even know me and they come here to make me smile. That is just like what you do, and I want to help too.” Jaiden Henry, eight years old and the son of Chicago’s 1st Platoon Leader Kim McGraw, had fallen ill and was temporarily hospitalized. To his amazement however, volunteers kept coming by to keep his spirits up.
He has since worked hard alongside his mother to inspire others to do the same.
May 5, 2016
By Eric Weiss, Platoon Leader
It was Cinco De Mayo, my first platoon social event. I had just taken on the role of Platoon Leader, creating the 2nd platoon in Orlando FL, and was trying to figure out how it could best help the community.
As it turned out, we had bought too much food for everyone to eat that night. Throwing out the food would be a complete waste — all leftover food could easily feed 30 people! After a few internet searches we found a women’s shelter in the Orlando downtown area that accepted food donations. So I packed up the food and took it to the shelter.
May 3, 2016
By Mary Beth Bruggeman
(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on The Huffington Post)
On the rare occasion that 50 women gather together in the military, their male counterparts hover anxiously outside the room, wondering what conspiracies they must be plotting within. So you can imagine the awe and great personal fulfillment I felt when 52 women veterans from The Mission Continues – representing all five branches of the military – came together for the first time in April to share stories, to laugh, and to learn.
