Programs of the Center for Citizen Leadership

The mission of the Center for Citizen Leadership is to empower wounded and disabled veterans as citizen leaders and to unite veterans and their fellow citizens in shared service to the nation. We accomplish our mission through these programs: The Mission Continues, Leading the Charge, and Explorations in Leadership.

The Mission Continues

The Mission Continues is a fellowship program that empowers wounded and disabled military veterans to become citizen leaders. As Fellows, these veterans typically spend 14-weeks at a service organization in a capacity that fits their skills and the organization’s needs. Whether they build a program that offers troubled children the therapeutic experience of horseback riding or create a course that teaches wounded veterans how to alpine ski, Mission Continues Fellows have a direct impact in their communities. Fellows also participate in leadership training and receive support from an engaged and caring network of mentors. After their service, some Fellows move on to full-time employment while others pursue further education. The Mission Continues program changes lives by ensuring that Fellows develop the skills they need to become citizen leaders and serve their communities.

Click here to learn more about our current fellows
Click here to download an application to become a Mission Continues Fellow

Leading the Charge

Leading the Charge is a program that unites veterans and their fellow citizens as leaders in community service. During Leading the Charge Days of Action, citizens from throughout the country lead community service work in honor of our veterans. Members of a local VFW Hall, for example, can partner with an inner city youth group and organize a campaign to build a new home for a family who lost everything from a natural disaster. Or sorority chapters from across the country might complete service work in honor of a fallen soldier. The Leading the Charge program includes Project Tool-kits and Impact Grants that enable a wide variety of citizen leaders to successfully organize and fund their projects. Through Leading the Charge, veterans and their fellow citizens are building relationships with each other, developing their leadership potential, and strengthening their communities.

Contact us to learn how to join us in Leading the Charge

Explorations in Leadership

The Explorations in Leadership program fosters vibrant discussion and awareness about our nation’s next generation of citizen leadership. Explorations in Leadership engages citizens on critical issues facing veterans and American society by providing timely research reports, award luncheons, radio shows, opinion editorial pieces, and college-level courses. In addition, an annual conference will bring together national leaders invested in citizen leadership. Through Explorations in Leadership, the CCL advocates for veterans and citizens to ensure that they play a key role in the future of American leadership.