On Saturday, May 1st, Mission Continues Fellow and former Special Forces Medic Casey Fulp will start his 2,175-mile hike across the Appalachian Trail to support other disabled veterans. Despite suffering severe injuries as a result of an accident in 2008, Casey teaches by example, inspiring others to raise their ambitions even higher.

"Your life may change due to injuries, but your goals don't have to... just the way you go about achieving them,” says Casey. “Everyone has their journey. You just have to be willing to take it."  To support Casey, please visit his Hike for Veterans page.

This week, hundreds of veteran and civilian volunteers have come together to participate in service during National Volunteer Week. Twenty-nine projects are being completed across the country by Mission Continues volunteers. If you have not had the opportunity to participate in a project with us yet, I encourage you to visit our National Volunteer Week page and take a look at the remaining service opportunities.

Mission Continues Fellow Casey McCausland truly embodies the spirit of service and works to involve other veterans in service projects throughout the St. Louis community. Although Casey has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he helps other veterans understand the importance of continued service. In fact, Casey was a member of The Mission Continues team at the April mobilize.org summit in Los Angeles, where our Warriors In Service Initiative was recognized by millennial veterans for its innovative approach to involving veterans in service.

This month, 68 participants took part in the GO! St. Louis Marathon as part of The Mission Continues team, walking or running more than 650 miles in support of wounded and disabled veterans.

It is wonderful to see so many of you coming together in support of The Mission Continues.  I hope these stories of service and dedication inspire you.

Yours in Service,

 
Eric Greitens
CEO

Injured Veteran to Hike 2,175 Miles Through Appalachian Mountains

Starting May 1st, Mission Continues Fellow Casey Fulp will be completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, something that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has recorded less than 12,000 people completing since the 1930's when the trail was created. His journey will start at Georgia’s Springer Mountain, and will carry him through 14 states to Maine’s Mt. Katahdin.

Casey is a former Special Forces Medic with the U.S. Army, who was severely injured in a motorcycle accident in 2008. In addition to undergoing emergency spleen removal surgery, Casey sustained several other injuries, including a broken sternum, a broken left radius and ulna, and head trauma. Unable to continue serving in the military himself, Casey hopes to enable another disabled veteran to continue serving our country through his Hike for the Veterans Fundraiser.

"Your life may change due to injuries, but your goals don't have to... just the way you go about achieving them,” says Casey. “Everyone has their journey. You just have to be willing to take it."

To support Casey, please visit his Hike for Veterans page.

National Volunteer Week In Full Swing, Inspiring Hundreds in Service

National Volunteer Week is well underway, and Mission Continues supporters and volunteers have participated in community-improvement projects across the country. So far, 14 projects have been completed in 11 cities, and 232 volunteers have given 925 hours of service throughout the campaign.

Military veterans and citizens of all backgrounds have completed projects such as trail clean-ups, clothing drives for homeless veterans, and letter writing campaigns to Mission Continues Fellows. Last Sunday, volunteers gathered at Soldiers Memorial in St. Louis to plant flowers and bushes, pull weeds, and clean out storage rooms. Sunday’s project was completed in honor of Lt. Daniel Riordan, who lost his life in Iraq. To view an interview with Dan’s brother Nick, click here. Pictures from completed projects are available in our Photo Gallery.

Didn’t get a chance to participate yet? You can still take part in one of our 15 remaining projects. To learn more about National Volunteer Week or to register for a project, visit our website. If you have any questions or want to join us in service, contact Chris Martinez, Director of Volunteer Outreach, at cmartinez@missioncontinues.org

Army Captain Leads Service Initiative

Captain Casey McCausland served in the United States Army, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. While deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Casey encountered improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, mortar and rocket attacks, and was in a vehicle when an IED blast struck and killed or injured many of the vehicle's passengers. Casey suffered few physical injuries, but was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his time in Afghanistan.

After returning home, Casey experienced something that many veterans go through – not knowing what to do at home. After hearing about The Mission Continues from his father, Casey decided to learn more about the organization. Casey says, “Too often veterans return home from a deployment and upon discharge from their branch of service move back to where they grew up and do not know what to do.” Through his Fellowship with The Mission Continues, Casey hopes to both bring awareness to civilians about combat veterans and to get other veterans active in their community.

Casey has been instrumental in implementing the Warriors In Service Initiative for The Mission Continues. This initiative brings veterans of all ages and community members together in service through community-building projects. So far, Casey has completed 3 projects in the St. Louis community, leading 44 volunteers in efforts to help the elderly and disabled.  Casey is pictured at left during a recent project, painting a house.

“I want to help my fellow vets and show them that there is a lot more out there, and even though we are no longer in the military, there are still a lot of missions that need to be conducted, and a lot of work to be done,” says Casey.

To learn more about Casey, click here.

68 Participants Walk, Run, and Relay During GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend

On April 10th and 11th, Mission Continues supporters participated in the GO! St. Louis 5k, half marathon, full marathon, and marathon relay events. 2010 marks the first time The Mission Continues was a featured charity partner for the GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend.

The weekend activities were a success, with 68 participants raising nearly $2,200 to support wounded and disabled veterans. Congratulations to The Mission Continues relay team “Mission: Crush” that took 14th place out of 452 overall relay teams. More than 23,000 people participated in the weekend’s events.

“The Mission Continues is a truly amazing and inspiring organization,” says Kristin Filev, half-marathon team member. “I’m so glad I was able to be a part of the Mission Continues team.”

To view photos from the GO! St. Louis Marathon and Family Fitness Weekend, visit our Photo Gallery.
 

Warriors In Service Initiative Wins Recognition at National Summit

More than 100 millennial veterans gathered in Los Angeles April 1st-2nd for mobilize.org’s “Beyond the Welcome Home” summit. The summit provided an opportunity for veterans across the country to discuss problems facing veterans and collaborate on innovative solutions. The Mission Continues team was recognized for their innovative Warriors In Service Initiative. This initiative brings veterans of all ages and community members together in service through community-building projects. To learn more about Warriors In Service, click here.

To view pictures from the summit, visit our Photo Gallery.

Partner Update

World T.E.A.M. Sports
World T.E.A.M. Sports is hosting the first inaugural Sea to Shining Sea Ride Across America, a 4,000 mile bike ride across the U.S. that will be completed by wounded and disabled veterans. The Mission Continues will soon be placing a fellow with World T.E.A.M. Sports. To learn more about the Sea to Shining Sea Ride, visit the World T.E.A.M. Sports Website.
 

Save the Dates

Now through April 25th – National Volunteer Week. To learn more, check out our website.

April 24th – Clayton/Ladue Rotary Auction to benefit The Mission Continues. For details or to purchase a ticket for a veteran, email Lyndsey Hodges, Community Outreach Manager, at lhodges@missioncontinues.org

May 1st - Casey Fulp starts his Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike, Hike for the Veterans.

May 18th – Mission Continues is partnering with Target team members to complete a campus beautification project at Edgewood Children’s Center in Webster Groves, Missouri. Veteran and civilian volunteers are needed. For more details, contact Chris Martinez, Director of Volunteer Outreach, at cmartinez@missioncontinues.org

If you have a project or a fundraiser you would like to see featured in our newsletter, please contact Lyndsey Hodges, Community Outreach Manager at lhodges@missioncontinues.org