The Mission Continues gives back to Austin elementary school

AUSTIN, Texas - This month, The Mission Continues, a veteran's volunteer group, embarked on a day of service to honor 9/11 by giving back to their community. 

Volunteers spent a day beautifying the campus at Casey Elementary School. They did work like picking up trash, painting picnic tables and adding garden boxes. 

"The Mission Continues is a veteran service-led organization that gives veterans the power… to work within their community when they transition from military service," said Kris Vandenberg, platoon leader of the Austin chapter of The Mission Continues. 

Vandenberg served in the Army for 12 years, but he says transitioning back to civilian life was a challenge. 

"It was a little bit of a struggle to get reacquainted and re-acclimated to civilian life from military service," said Vandenberg. "We need a driven mission that we don't feel like we have when we transition out of the military.

That's where The Mission Continues comes in. They connect skilled veterans to communities that need a helping hand. 

"It's serving your country without being in actual service," said Eric Wences, a veteran volunteer. 

Eric Wences spent five years serving his country as a U.S. marine. Now he's serving his community with The Mission Continues. He says each year since 2021 he has participated in an average of 15 service days.  

Most recently, he spent the day giving back at Casey Elementary with his wife, Isabel Wences, who recently transitioned from active duty to the reserves back in May. 

"It feels very fulfilling that I can continue to help out," she said. "I get that feeling of, I did something good today."

Isabel Wences says her favorite part of volunteering on service days is getting to meet others with similar goals. 

"Just being able to be around others who have the same mindset. It kind of spurs you on, keeps you going. And it's really cool to get to meet new people with that same drive," she said. 

What you can do:

You don't have to be a veteran to get involved with The Mission Continues.

Anyone with a passion for helping their communities is welcome to attend a service day. For more information, click here.