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, le
ading 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: Cr
ush”
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 mi
llennial
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