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

NEW YORK (June 26, 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.”

Highlights about recent donors to The Mission Continues include:

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente and The Mission Continues are both nonprofit organizations with shared beliefs and a commitment to providing high-quality resources to communities nationwide, which is why the partnership to support Operation Watts Is Worth It is a natural fit. The Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center has been providing care to more than 370,000 members in the Southeast Los Angeles community since 1965, while the Mass Deployment brings together more than 80 veterans, volunteers and local organizations for a weeklong series of high-impact projects to create a lasting, visible impact in the same area.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation

The Bob Woodruff Foundation, a founding funder of The Mission Continues’ Service Platoon Program in 2013, recently increased its commitment to the organization through additional grant support. This funding will ensure the establishment of a new Puerto Rico service platoon that will engage local veterans and support long-term recovery efforts addressing the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria. Additionally, the grant will fund ten veteran members of the Service Leadership Corps, a new program that empowers veterans to be community based leaders of social change.  

The Schultz Family Foundation

Since 2015, the Schultz Family Foundation (SFF) has been a supporter of The Mission Continues and recently renewed its commitment to their efforts for 2018. SFF continues to invest in initiatives that foster veterans’ success, unifying the leadership of our communities and country through the support of the Service Leadership Corps, Service Platoon Programs and the Mass Deployment Program.

Diageo

The Mission Continues is engaging in a cause-marketing initiative, which was established by Diageo North America for the release of its latest spirit, American Anthem Vodka. As part of the initiative, one dollar from each bottle produced of American Anthem Vodka will go to help veterans and veteran organizations, including The Mission Continues, to further propel the organizations’ efforts to empower veterans as they address real-time community issues.  

To get involved with The Mission Continues, by donating or volunteering as part of a local service project, head to www.missioncontinues.org. More information about additional events happening around the country can also be found on the website.

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About The Mission Continues

The Mission Continues is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that empowers veterans to build stronger communities through service. Our programs in cities across the country deploy veteran volunteers alongside nonprofit partners and community leaders to improve educational resources, increase access to parks and green spaces, foster neighborhood identity, and more. Through this unique model, veterans build meaningful connections and grow as individuals while creating long-term, sustainable local impact. To learn more, visit http://www.missioncontinues.org or follow us on Twitter at @missioncontinue.

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About Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center  

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. Nationally, we currently serve more than 12.2 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. For more than 50 years, Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center has provided care to more than 370,000 members in the southeast Los Angeles community. The nearly 700,000 square foot facility in Downey combines innovative technology with a warm touch that emphasizes patient comfort, healing and wellness. For more information follow us on twitter; @KPDowneyNews or go to: www.kp.org/downey.

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About The Bob Woodruff Foundation

The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was hit by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has led an enduring call to action for people to stand up for heroes and meet the emerging and long-term needs of today’s veterans. To date, BWF has invested more than $55 million to Find, Fund and Shape™ programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members and their families. For more information, please visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @Stand4Heroes.

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About The Schultz Family Foundation

The Schultz Family Foundation, established in 1996 by Sheri and Howard Schultz, aims to unlock America’s potential, one individual and one community at a time. It creates opportunities for populations facing barriers to success to ensure that their place in life isn’t determined by zip code, race, religion, gender or sexual identity. Investing in innovative, scalable solutions and partnerships, the Foundation focuses its efforts on two groups with enormous promise: the 4.6 million youth and young adults aged between 16 and 24 who are out of school and out of work, and the 3.8 million post 9/11 veterans and the approximately 300,000 service members who transition from active, National Guard, or Reserve duty to civilian life each year.

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About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource,
www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.