As the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Admiral Mike Mullen, recognized a desire by the American people to support returning service members, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans from all wars, military families, as well as families of the fallen. He referred to it as “The Sea of Goodwill.”
Admiral Mullen created the Pentagon’s Office of Warrior and Family Support, to harness the Sea of Goodwill. This office became the point for the Joint Chiefs of Staff to harness, leverage, and encourage the Sea of Goodwill within communities.
Many of the ideas and whitepapers generated in the Office of Warrior and Family Support serve as the foundation for Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services.
The Office of Warrior and Family Support became the initial model for a “Center” – outside of DoD – a resource hub for organizations, individuals, systems, movements, and communities, building capacity to support veterans and their families. A place to extend the reach and support of the Sea of Goodwill beyond the Pentagon and now to the nation.
Over two years, the leadership of the Office of Warrior and Family Support visited three hundred communities and engaged with thousands of individuals and organizations. This proof of principle is the foundation of our “Center” – a team-shared facility and entity that inspires collective action and provides leadership, advocacy, innovative solutions, research, support, and training to other entities focusing on improving veterans and military families’ quality of life.
During a ceremony on 13 July 2012, we dedicated Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services as an Easterseals, Inc. program. We put into practice our focus on being the resource of choice for building capacity, nationally and locally, at the individual, organizational, systems, or movement level.
In 2017, after five successful years, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services divested from Easterseals, Inc. and joined The Fedcap Group. The Fedcap Group, a global network of top-tier nonprofit agencies, provides our back-office support and serves as our parent organization.
Now, we continue to stay focused on building capacity. Our mission is to ensure veterans and military families can succeed where they live and that all sectors of society effectively integrate veterans and their families into their organizations and existing programs.
