St. Louis, Missouri — Corrupt career politician Chris Koster has somehow found a new low. Despite never having served in the military, he launched a new ad today attacking The Mission Continues, a universally praised veterans non-profit. Chris Koster’s false attacks on an organization that has changed the lives of thousands of veterans are despicable.
THE FACTS:
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Eric Greitens did not collect a salary during his first two years with The Mission Continues. He donated his combat pay to found the organization and slept on an air mattress in a spartan apartment for months to get it started.
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The Mission Continues has awarded more than 1,600 paid fellowships to veterans around the country, brought over 8,000 veterans together in service platoons, and engaged thousands of volunteers to serve their communities.
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From 2008-2013, The Mission Continues spent an average of 83.3% of its funds directly on its core programs and beneficiaries—well above the recommended 65% from the Charities Review Council.
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The Mission Continues never hired “image consultants” for Greitens. A media firm worked for the organization on marketing materials, outreach, events, and web design to help them reach more veterans in need.
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The Mission Continues has been nationally recognized for its effectiveness and efficiency: It has a perfect four-star rating from the watchdog group Charity Navigator and was awarded the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for “exceptional ethical business practices and customer service.”
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In 2010, The Manhattan Institute named the Mission Continues one of the five most socially innovative organizations in the country, highlighting it as an example “of the strength and honor of our military men and women both on the battlefield and on the home front.”
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In 2011, the Social Venture Network, a leading network of entrepreneurs and investors, named Eric Greitens and The Mission Continues as one of its Innovation Award winners. The award recognizes the most promising social ventures and innovative entrepreneurs in the country.
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One of The Mission Continues’ early fellows, Tim Smith, described his time with The Mission Continues as life-saving.
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT THE MISSION CONTINUES:
PBS: “The world appears to be a better place for many of the vets who have gone through The Mission Continues. A study by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis found that over 70 percent of Fellows have furthered their education, and 80 percent have found civilian employment.” (PBS, “The Mission Continues,” May 31st, 2012)
National Journal: “Williamson…opened the email about The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that helps veterans integrate into their communities. The St. Louis-based group wound up being his lifeline…Williamson said his application for a Mission Continues fellowship was ‘my Hail Mary.’” (National Journal, “Paying Veterans to Give Back,” January 14th, 2014)
Fortune Magazine: “In 2007, Greitens took his commitment back to the frontlines, founding a nonprofit organization that serves post-9/11 veterans by deploying them to service projects across the country…and changing the way Americans, and the veterans themselves, think about veterans.” (Fortune Magazine, “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” March 20th, 2014)
The Riverfront Times: “Matthew Trotter, the [Mission Continues’] first fellow and a former Navy electronics engineer who severely injured his ankles and legs not long after the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, calls the program ‘a godsend.’” (The Riverfront Times, “Captain America,” April 9th, 2008)
The Military Times: “Researchers tracking The Mission Continues fellowship program…found that 90 percent of the participants believed the community work helped their chances of finding a job. More than 80 percent said the volunteer experience encouraged them to seek out a better career.” (The Military Times, “Study: Volunteer work could help vets’ careers, November 20th, 2014)
The Center for New American Security: “[The Mission Continues Fellowship Program] supports veteran reintegration across all four dimensions of well-being described in the CNAS Veteran Wellness Model, with a specific focus on purpose and social relationships…This service opportunity provides them with a renewed sense of purpose in life, a stronger social network, professional development support and the broader health benefits of serving others by volunteering.” (CNAS, “The Mission Continues: A Case Study of the Well After Service Model, November 20th, 2014)
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Tim Smith didn’t find work for five months…He had been in some tough spots when in Iraq. When he got home, he was anxious when he heard loud noises, watched rooftops when he was outdoors, became nervous at traffic lights and sometimes reflexively would look for a weapon under his bed…The Mission Continues, an innovative service organization whose headquarters are in St. Louis, arranged a paid fellowship for Tim. It enabled him to work full-time helping veterans.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “’For us the living’ Our view,” May 25th, 2009)
Time Magazine: “[Mike] Pereira was working for a veterans’ service organization called the Mission Continues, in St. Louis….Mike had lived through some tough times too after leaving the Army. He too had been living alone, on the couch. He too had put a gun to his head. But he was living with a purpose now….Mike talked nonstop about the Mission Continues and its leader, Eric Greitens, about the peace he’d found.” (Time Magazine, “Can Service Save Us?”, June 20th, 2013)
The New York Times: “The organization offered post-9/11 veterans fellowships: stipends to spend 20 hours a week for 6 months doing something they cared about. Among other projects, fellows work with kids in foster care, build houses with Habitat for Humanity and do disaster preparedness with the American Red Cross. Many chose to help fellow veterans, training service animals for veterans with disabilities or teaching homeless veterans to ride horses….The fellows perform valuable work for their communities, and ease their own transition to civilian life.” (The New York Times, “Veterans at Home, on a Mission of Compassion” February 26th, 2014)
