First Lady Michelle Obama to Volunteer With Mission Serve on September 11

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelle Obama, who along with Dr. Jill Biden last year helped to launch Mission Serve, the civilian-military initiative of the ServiceNation coalition, will be volunteering with Mission Serve and The George Washington (GW) University community this September 11, the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Mission Serve, in the words of its Director, Afghanistan veteran Ross Cohen, is a network of non-profit organizations dedicated to "bringing together civilian and military communities through service and volunteerism."

The First Lady will be serving with nearly two hundred GW Freshmen, veterans, active duty servicemembers, students, military retirees, spouses and Chesterbrook Elementary School students to renovate the Vinson Hall Retirement Community. The service is being coordinated with The George Washington University's second annual Freshman Day of Service. Vinson Hall is supported by the Navy Marine Coast Guard Residence Foundation, and among its residents include Navy Veterans of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway.

Other guests will include Chair of the Pat Tillman Foundation Marie Tillman, CEO of Vinson Hall Rear Admiral Kathleen Martin (USN Ret.), George Washington University President Dr. Steven Knapp, and CEO of The Mission Continues Eric Greitens.

Service activities include renovating Vinson Hall's loading dock, washing residents' cars, and cleaning stairwells and storage rooms. There will also be gardening taking place at the adjacent Chesterbrook Elementary School. Chesterbrook's community garden was inspired by the First Lady's "Let's Move" campaign.

September 11 was formally designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in April 2009.

About Mission Serve

On Veterans Day (November 11) 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, Mrs. Alma Powell, and 1,500 members of the community joined together at George Washington University to launch Mission Serve.

As the First Lady has said, "I've made it a priority to keep asking all Americans to join the cause of supporting our military families. And that's why last Veterans Day, Jill and I helped launch Mission Serve – a national network that brings civilian and military service groups together to help support our troops and families. But this network also encourages communities to tap that incredible spirit of service of our military families, as well as the talents of our veterans."

Mission Serve's Founding Chair, Colonel Rob Gordon, USA (Ret.), has recently joined the Obama Administration as the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, where he continues to forge innovative solutions to challenges facing our military families.

SOURCE Mission Serve