Americans Honor Veterans Day Week Volunteering Alongside Service Members, Vets and Military Families

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans will rally around the troops Veterans Day week (November 8-13) by volunteering in support of and alongside active-duty military, veterans and military families through the Mission Serve initiative.  Major events partnering military, civilians and nonprofits with corporate sponsors Walmart and Bank of America will take place in more than 20 cities across the United States.  Americans will also be able to log onto the new www.MissionServe.org website to find volunteer opportunities in their own region and download free toolkits for use by individuals, religious groups, schools and community organizations to plan their own activities.  First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Mrs. Alma Powell first helped launch the Mission Serve initiative Veterans Day 2009. 

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In Atlanta, flyers using the City's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport will be able to write letters to troops in a USO-sponsored event.  A Teaching Garden(C) will be built at a Camp Pendleton, CA elementary school thanks to the American Heart Association and Farmer-Veteran Coalition.  In Los Angeles, the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center will be refurbished through a civilian/military partnership.  In New York City, 3,000 care packages will be assembled for distribution to troops serving overseas.  A complete list of the initiative's signature service projects appears at the end of this release.

 The companion website highlights the 20+ large-scale city projects, allows browsers to find and plan events and encourages those volunteering to do so in honor of someone special.  To find events and ongoing volunteer opportunities, users go to www.MissionServe.org, or the U.S. Government's www.Serve.gov, enter their zip code and service projects and organizations are made available to them.

"When I served in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, it lifted my spirits a great deal to know that Americans supported our efforts and were united behind us," explained Ross Cohen, former U.S. Army paratrooper and director of the Mission Serve initiative.  "That's the idea behind Mission Serve -- to create an opportunity for Americans to show service members, veterans and military families that they appreciate our service.  Whether they send care packages overseas, volunteer at a veterans hospital or revitalize veteran retirement homes, it sends a powerful message of civilian-military solidarity.  The program also provides an excellent opportunity for military personnel to transition back into civilian life through continued service."

Walmart and Bank of America, sponsors of the initiative, are consistently ranked among top U.S. companies in terms of corporate giving.  In addition to overall support of the initiative, the sponsors will hold joint and independent volunteer activities in several cities.  Bank of America associates will work side by side with nonprofit organizations in New York City, Phoenix and San Antonio, TX, while Walmart associates will turn out with veterans in Chicago and Philadelphia.  The companies will work together in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Norfolk, VA. 

Photos and video of the events are available for download at www.newscastus.com/mediablast/BeTheChange/100081/100081.html. This site will be updated throughout the day.  For more information on the Mission Serve initiative and how you can support it, please go to www.MissionServe.org. 

About Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy

Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a new, 10-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2009, making the bank one of the largest corporate cash donors in the United States.  Bank of America approaches investing through a national strategy under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities.  Reaffirming a commitment to develop and sustain a culture of service, the bank announced the "Million Hour Challenge," a pledge by the company's associates around the world to donate 1 million volunteer hours by the end of 2010. In 2009, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 800,000 hours to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally, $467 million of which was donated in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

Related Link

Mission Serve Website

SOURCE Mission Serve