One hundred forty-seven volunteers came together on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Day of Service to complete 361 hours of community service as Mission Continues volunteers.
Projects took place all across the country, and included both veterans and non-veterans alike.
In St. Louis, over 60 volunteers made their way out to St. Louis University's Campus Kitchen. There they prepared meals, stocked food, organized orders and donated non-perishable items for the local community.
In Chicago, Veterans Outreach Coordinator Andy Traver and Mission Continues Fellow Dan Casara raised awareness and organized over 100 care packages at Rush University's Veterans Resources Fair. The Chicago NBC affiliate turned out to speak with Andy and Dan and produced an excellent story about our mission, which you can view here.
In New York, our project was set up by Veterans Outreach Coordinator Marc Wolf. Marc teamed with American Corporate Partners to work on an indoor garden for a Met Council Retirement Center.
On Indiana University's campus Rachael Candee, Community Service Coordinator and former intern, led volunteers to paint an assisted living facility for seniors.
In Fresno, Veterans Outreach Coordinator Anne Bacher and former Fellow Curtis Johnson reached out to more than 300 supporters at an awareness event at the Fresno VA Hospital.
In San Antonio, Fellow Brandon Garrison led a project with Operation Homefront to beautify Homefront Village, a 20-unit transitional housing area for soldiers in need.
Veterans Outreach Coordinators Alex Borisov and Dan Connell led our effort in Washington, D.C. and brought students and veterans together to beautify Anacostia High School alongside the Service for Peace organization.
In North Carolina, Veterans Outreach Coordinator Brianna Bake set up a project with Homes for our Troops, which is a nonprofit organization that builds specially adapted homes for wounded veterans. Volunteers helped by cleaning the construction site so that it would pass inspection. 
Lastly, in central Missouri at Westminster University volunteers wrote letters of encouragement to our Fellows to pay tribute to Dr. King's legacy of service.
A link to our Flickr page with more pictures to come soon!
The Honor Quilt Ministry recently attended the Mission Continues Central California meeting on January 21st to present customized quilts to two Mission Continues Fellows. Curtis Johnson and Vince Garcia were presented with special quilts to honor their service in the military.
The Honor Quilty Ministry is part of Northside Christian Church in Clovis, California, and their mission is to honor and respect both fallen heroes and those who are still with us.
Curtis Johnson accepts his quilt at the Mission Continues Centeral California meeting on January 21st.
On January 10th, members of the Farrington High School Pacific and Asian Affairs Council Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, participated in a community service project in honor of Lieutenant Nainoa Hoe. Club members took part in the New Years Ohana Festival with the International Academy, and their duties included setting up for the event and teaching and playing games with members of the community.
To learn more about the Pacific and Asain Affairs Council, please visit their website at www.paachawaii.org
On Monday, January 18th at 7:00 p.m. Central, The Mission Continues will be one of the feature stories in a documentary entitled, "American Character Along Highway 50" with Tom Brokaw on USA Network. CEO Eric Greitens and Mission Continues Fellow Phil Sturgeon will be featured in the piece. This documentary explores the state of the American character over the last year.
During the American Character series, Brokaw traveled through 12 states, on 3,000 miles of highway, beginning on the eastern shore of Maryland and making his way west to California.
Eric and Phil's original interview with Tom Brokaw aired on September 10th during the NBC Nightly News. Monday's documentary will included an extended version of the initial interview. You can view the original piece here or visit the American Character website.
