Hundreds of Military & Veterans Volunteer to Rebuild & Revitalize Detroit in Nation’s First-Ever Local “Mass Deployment”
Detroit, MI — On its third day of the service marathon, dubbed “Operation Motown Muster,” national veterans nonprofit The Mission Continues has brought together hundreds to participate in a weeklong service engagement that will jump-start a long-lasting transformation in a city or community identified with a particularly high level of need.
Home to nearly 700,000 residents — many of whom are already hard at work shaping the future of their city — Detroit was a prime location for The Mission Continues’ inaugural Mass Deployment. During Operation Motown Muster, The Mission Continues veterans and local volunteers will provide a much-needed surge in Detroit’s revitalization efforts, a gap in the city’s current capacity.
US Navy Veteran and Mass Deployment Director for The Mission Continues, Joshua Arntson, who is responsible for leading the first ever effort of its kind here in the US, spoke with @MediaKristina of AMVETS, prior to deploying his veteran alumni in “Operation Motown Muster”. After 2 deployments and 4 years with the military, Arntson, like many of our veterans, offer high-quality operations management & tactical experience necessary to kick-start the city’s accelerated transformation goals.
“Veterans (and military) have skills and we can build long term sustainability in cities here at home,” said Arntson. “Veterans are rooted to serve, and Mission Continues offers us (veterans) an ability to impact the community, tap into our current networks and advance these neighborhoods through continuum of service.”
Over this past weekend, Arntson and his Mass Deployment team went to Central High School, which once groomed history makers and leaders. Eli Broad, William Davidson, Senators Carl and Sander Levin and Nobel Prize winner Melvin Calvin are a few of this iconic institution’s alumn. The school now has fewer than 350 students enrolled, and a graduation rate of less than 50 percent.
Each day, the team will deploy and execute a variety of high-impact missions, including construction, landscaping, painting and public arts projects. Specific projects include:
- Refurbishing indoor and outdoor facilities at Central High School and Priest Elementary School to make the schools a safe and inviting place for students to learn,
- Beautifying three public parks and future green spaces in the Osborn Neighborhood to create a safe, lively space for families to play, and
- Cleaning up 40 acres of vacant land and converting portions of the Chene Ferry Market into clean, vibrant spaces for community events and an urban farm.
Following this week-long service marathon, The Mission Continues will maintain a veteran volunteer presence in the city to continually support local Detroit nonprofits over the next several years. And, in 2017, they’ll select a new Mass Deployment city with a goal of jump-starting long-term transformational change in another community.
For more information on Operation Motown Muster or how you can get involved in future Mass Deployment projects, please visit: https://www.missioncontinues.org/deployments/
