November 6, 2015

The Compass Awards are a special recognition, handed out each year at our annual Veterans Day Gala, of the individuals, companies and organizations who have made a special effort to serve—literally and figuratively—alongside The Mission Continues.

This year, on Saturday, November 7th, we’ll have the honor of celebrating the impact and achievements of Paula Boggs, George and Eva Davila, Kathy French, Joe Klein and Benjamin Moore. 

These honorees inspire us to do more.

Paula Boggs
Seattle, WA

Paula Boggs served eight years as a Regular Officer in the United States Army, and earned Army Airborne wings and a Congressional appointment to the US Naval Academy – among America’s first women to do so. She continued her public service career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and in various capacities as an attorney for the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense and the White House Office of Legal Counsel.  Paula also contributed her leadership and passion to a the private sector, including ten years as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Law and Corporate Affairs at Starbucks Corporation.  Now Paula leads the Paula Boggs Band, traversing jazz, world, rock and Americana. Paula has shared generously her insights and connections with The Mission Continues and the broader veterans community, including helping to build our network in the Seattle area. Paula is an inspiring example of a military leader who has channeled passion, purpose and rigor in every aspect of her multi-faceted life, making our country and communities stronger. 

George and Eva Davila
San Antonio, TX

George, center, at a San Antonio Service Platoon project.

George and Eva Davila and their family are a unified force in everything they do. George served in the Army for 20 years with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group. He retired in 2006. George, Eva and their children have worked together to build their path forward, in part by helping other military families to do the same. Since George became the Platoon Leader for 1st Platoon San Antonio in August 2014, he and Eva have drawn hundreds of veterans, military families and community members together. They now have 223 platoon members and have had more than 150 other community members join them for service and social events. Together, they serve alongside residents of the East Point community, working to revitalize and increase opportunity in the neighborhood. George and Eva continually show and inspire respect for their fellow veterans and military families.

Kathy French
St. Louis, MO

Kathy French, left, at the Bravo 2015 Orientation Service Project in St. Louis.

Even though St. Louis is her home, Kathy French first heard about The Mission Continues through a colleague at her company’s office in New York.  That led her to attend The Mission Continues Veterans Day weekend events in 2009—before we even had a Veterans Day Gala. Kathy quickly became an advocate for veterans and our work in both cities. In addition to funding a Fellowship every year since 2010 and being generous in many other ways, Kathy is always right there serving alongside our Fellows, Platoon Members and staff—from the Fox Sports Midwest Summer Service Slams to Orientation Service Projects in St. Louis and New York to September 11^th and Veterans Day Service Projects. Kathy tells us how inspired she is by veterans’ commitment to service. She inspires us with her own commitment, humility and action.

Joe Klein
New York, NY

Informed by his experiences alongside the men and women of the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan, Joe Klein began to realize that their capacity for leadership did not only apply overseas. To confirm this belief, he embedded with them again, here at home. Joe spent years alongside the veterans of The Mission Continues and Team Rubicon, attending national trainings, participating in service projects and deployments, and interacting with individual veterans. In his new book, Charlie Mike, Joe paints vivid pictures of veterans’ perseverance through challenges, with continued leadership and commitment—to each other, to our country, and to our local and global communities. Joe tells the story of Eric Greitens, Jake Wood and their fellow veterans who are demonstrating that “the military virtues of discipline, selflessness and sacrifice for the greater good…can also provide a path to peace, personal satisfaction, and a more vigorous nation.” Joe’s sincerity and gift of storytelling have amplified the message that this generation of veterans can lead us all as we strengthen our country from the inside—one community at a time.

Benjamin Moore
Montvale, NJ

From refurbishing schools to revitalizing housing to transforming community centers, Benjamin Moore powers our service platoon and Orientation painting projects. With incredible generosity (hundreds of thousands of dollars in in-kind paint since they first started collaborating with The Mission Continues in 2012, as well as direct funding support for our work) and perhaps even more incredible ease and efficiency, Benjamin Moore enables our Platoon Leaders to order the volume and colors they want for their projects. And they deliver the paint to the project doorsteps. Their employees roll up their sleeves and volunteer themselves, while sharing their painting expertise at projects. Thanks to Benjamin Moore, veterans are able to dream bigger about what they can accomplish in their communities.