A Veterans Day Recognition of a Friend: Craig Newmark
At Service to School (S2S), we want to wish every supporter, ally, applicant, ambassador, alumni, and leader a “Happy Veterans Day.” We are incredibly thankful for your military service as well as your support of Service to School.
Veterans Day can be an awkward day for many veterans. Memorial Day has a specific, profound meaning–it honors the sacrifice of those veterans that gave their life in service of this country. But Veterans Day is more complicated. The purpose of Veterans Day is for the country to say thanks to all those have served in the armed forces. As veterans, we appreciate this gesture. Yet, we cannot help but notice that many of the serious issues facing veterans today remain unfixed: veteran suicides, assimilating veterans back into society, and fixing the GI Bill.
This Veterans Day we’d like to start a small trend: veterans recognizing those civilians who have helped them. At Service to School we believe in veterans helping veterans and that continues to be our service model. But there are countless non veterans who have been incredibly generous, thoughtful, and inspirational to our team: Anna Ivey (Board Member and cofounder), Paul Brest, Anna McCullough (at Questbridge), Howard Schultz (and the entire Schultz Family Foundation), and the team at the Newman’s Own Foundation to name just a few. Today we’d like to highlight Craig Newmark, not only for his support of Service to School but also for his incredible generosity, thoughtfulness, and mentorship through the years.
Craig Newmark is one of the most below the radar Silicon Valley luminaries. Humble, self effacing, incredibly perceptive, and a man who has shaped the lives of easily hundreds of thousands of veterans. While creating Craigslist will undoubtedly be what he is remembered for most, I believe the next thing Craig will be remembered for is the incredible support and work he has done for military veterans and for democracy via Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
Here are just some of the organizations that Craig has supported through leadership, mentorship, and financial support:
- Service to School
- Swords to Plowshares
- Blue Star Families
- City College of San Francisco Veterans Educational Transition
- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
- Bob Woodruff Foundation
- Joining Forces
- National Military Family Association
- San Francisco Veterans Resources
- Veterans in Tech
Service to School has helped over 350 veterans be admitted to reputable undergraduate and graduate programs that include many of our nation’s top schools. As a team, we would not be able to provide all of our services were it not for the generous support of our donors. Craig Newmark is one of them. And he has played in a major role in helping hundreds of veterans maximize their Post 9/11 GI Bill. Here are some of our success stories that Craig’s support has enabled.
While many veterans today will hear, “Thank you for your service,” we’d really like to thank mom, dad, spouses, siblings, family, Craig Newmark, and the many civilians who have helped us with our transition from service. We’d love to hear from other veterans and VSOs about civilians who have helped you this Veterans Day.
