Blue Star Families Launches New Campaign — Do Your Part: For Military Families & The Common Defense

Yesterday, Blue Star Families began rolling out its new "Do Your Part" campaign to create a national coalition supported by Craig Newmark and craig newmark philanthropies. The multi-year campaign aims to activate national and community-level responses to address pressing issues faced by military families and our common defense.

The campaign launch started with a Capitol Hill briefing which was moderated by journalist Jonathan Karl and featured a conversation with Blue Star Families' CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet and Craig Newmark, who were additionally joined by Senate Military Family Caucus Chair Tim Kaine (D-VA), House Armed Services Committee’s Quality of Life Panel Chairman Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Quality of Life Panel Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA). Actor and advocate Michael Kelly; BSF Board of Directors Chair Lieutenant General Gwen Bingham, USA (Ret.); David Woodruff of the Bob Woodruff Foundation; Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service James Rodriguez; Military Child Education Coalition national advisor Charlene Austin; and others joined the briefing as honored guests. Private sector leaders contributed innovative ideas and announced new resources to support military families, including:

• Craig Newmark announced an additional donation to establish Blue Star Families' outposts in the districts of every House Armed Services Committee’s Quality of Life Panel member, building upon his previous $100 million commitment to support military families and Veterans.
• Starbucks director of policy and government affairs Michael Collins pledged to increase the number of Military Family Stores to 250, with 100 going onto military bases, to facilitate community building for military families. 
• Nextdoor's chief marketing officer Heidi Andersen unveiled a partnership with Blue Star Families to further assist military families in connecting and settling into new neighborhoods, which they often do every two years, and together, created a Military Movers website. 

In the evening, Blue Star Families hosted a VIP reception at Dog Tag Bakery. The packed room included guests such as Blue Star Families’ Board of Directors member and CNN anchor Brianna Keilar, chief strategy and impact officer of the Obama Foundation Tina Tchen, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, Consumer Brands Association president and CEO David Chavern, journalist Margaret Talev, actor Michael Kelly, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), and co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation David Woodruff. The event was moderated by broadcast journalist Steve Scully and featured inspiring remarks from Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet, journalist and military child Kara Swisher, Michael Collins from Starbucks, Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Guzman, and Craig Newmark.