Posted on

Why Watts Is Worth It

June 29, 2018
By Regan Turner, West Region Executive Director

The Mission Continues launched our service platoon program in Los Angeles just over four years ago. Since then, we have engaged more than 1,000 local veterans and community members in service with our three service platoons, and have grown our local staff from two remote employees to seven full-time staff in an office in the LA Promise Zone.

It was actually right here in Los Angeles that The Mission Continues piloted our very first “operation,” which has now become our national model for collaboration and community impact.

Thanks to encouragement and introductions made by our friends at Bad Robot and The Wasserman Foundation, we connected with an organization called the Partnership for LA Schools more than three years ago.

The Partnership serves some of LA’s most under-resourced schools in Watts, Boyle Heights and South LA by providing their staff and community with additional resources to improve educational outcomes.

Local volunteers at Operation Watts Is Worth It

In speaking with the Partnership staff, we realized that they had not just one school in need of renovation work, but an entire portfolio of almost 20 schools that could use the help of The Mission Continues and our veterans.

Since our first project at Stephenson Middle School in 2015, The Mission Continues has performed more than 15 projects at Partnership Schools. We were honored to receive their Community Partner of the Year award in 2016.

Many of those school projects were in Watts, at Markham Middle School, Grape Street Elementary, Gompers Middle School, and 107th Elementary School, among others.

So last year, when The Mission Continues began looking across the country to determine the location of our 2018 Mass Deployment, Los Angeles — specifically Watts — was a natural choice. Continue reading “Why Watts Is Worth It”

Posted on

The Mission Continues Celebrates Growth, New Opportunities With Diverse Donor Investments

PRESS RELEASE

The veterans’ nonprofit engages new donors and increases established investments to support veterans and communities nationwide.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) JUNE 26, 2018, 2018 — The Mission Continues is expanding its base of supporters with several new donor partnerships and increased strategic investments from existing donors. These developments will provide additional capacity, furthering the organization’s mission of empowering veterans to find growth, purpose and connection through community service.

New donors to The Mission Continues’ growing list of supporters include Kaiser Permanente and Diageo North America. The organization also received strategic funding from two of its existing partners, The Bob Woodruff Foundation and The Schultz Family Foundation. Through these partnerships, the organization will collaborate on cause-marketing campaigns, corporate social responsibility initiatives and new opportunities to support their growing programs.

“Enduring commitments from our donors both fuel us and motivate us as we continue to drive impact in communities,” said Spencer Kympton, U.S. Army veteran and president of The Mission Continues. “We are locking arms with our terrific partners in cities across the country – and together we are effecting positive change for veterans and for the communities in which they live.”

Kaiser Permanente, one of the newest partnerships, is already jumping into action, supporting the third-annual Mass Deployment – Operation Watts Is Worth It – benefiting Los Angeles’ historic Watts neighborhood from June 21-28.

“Community service is in our DNA at Kaiser Permanente and as a veteran myself it’s an honor to help empower other veterans to serve their communities,” said Jim Branchick, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center. “With the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Center, we’ve been part of the community for 50 years and being a part of Operation Watts is Worth It is an extension of that commitment.” Continue reading “The Mission Continues Celebrates Growth, New Opportunities With Diverse Donor Investments”

Posted on

Meet Your Mass Deployment 2018 Ambassadors

June 18, 2018

Meet the Ambassadors — veterans familiar with the ropes of Mass Deployment — who are going to lead teams of veterans to accomplish all of this impact! Taking on a leadership role involves fostering camaraderie, making sure their team accomplishes their tasks, and embodying what The Mission Continues family is all about.

So let’s see what they’re all about! Continue reading “Meet Your Mass Deployment 2018 Ambassadors”

Posted on

Teaching My Daughter the Importance of Service

June 17, 2018
By Justin Thomas, Platoon Leader

Although my father has passed, he has always been a great influence on my life and his words of wisdom, ignored in my youth, still resonate with me today. Now at the tender young age of 40, I am finally going to be a father myself and want to pass along my experiences in service to my soon-to-be-born daughter. Continue reading “Teaching My Daughter the Importance of Service”

Posted on

Introducing the Service Leadership Corps

June 15, 2018

We are proud to announce that in October of 2018, a new wave of veteran leaders will rise up to continue the mission of impact and service through our new program, Service Leadership Corps (SLC).

The Mission Continues Service Leadership Corps is a six-month community-based leadership program for US Military veterans and current members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Throughout the program, Corps members will build their leadership skills alongside a national network of veterans through in-person gatherings and a virtual learning environment. Veterans will engage in learning through real-world application in partnership with a community organization, and will have opportunities to connect with each other and the community they serve.

Applications open today, June 15. To learn more, click here for program details and eligibility requirements. Continue reading “Introducing the Service Leadership Corps”

Posted on

Help Us Close a $10,000 Gap for Mass Deployment

June 6, 2018 
We’re coming to Los Angeles for our third annual Mass Deployment, Operation Watts Is Worth It (OWW)! Over the course of one week, The Mission Continues will deploy more than 80 military veterans from across the country to join forces and tackle tough challenges in the historic LA neighborhood of Watts.

In Watts, the median household income is $28,465, with 44% of households living below the poverty line, and 49% have no high school diploma or equivalent.

Participants will spend over five intense days of service at a variety of community sites; working alongside community partners, local youth and volunteers to create visible change.

There’s just one problem: we’re roughly $10,000 shy of our fundraising goal. Donate today to help us close our fundraising gap!

Continue reading “Help Us Close a $10,000 Gap for Mass Deployment”