American Legion Family members can complete the community service category by doing what they do best – serving fellow veterans, mentoring children and youth, and more.
In a distinction from the American Legion’s previous 100 Miles for Hope, the new USA 250 Challenge was specifically designed to allow anyone to participate in virtually any way they choose. While 100 Miles for Hope focused on fitness activities, The American Legion’s USA 250 Challenge offers three challenge options— mental wellness, community service and physical activity.
The American Legion launched the challenge as a yearlong celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, concluding on July 4, 2026. Participants may pursue their goals for the challenge categories individually or as part of a team. (Learn more and sign up here.)
In addition to celebrating America, proceeds from the $30 registration fee and all donations go to the Legion’s Veterans & Children Foundation, which supports disabled veterans and military families in need.
Here are 10 unique community service ideas to celebrate America with the USA 250 Challenge:
1. Flag retirement: Collect at least 250 worn and/or tattered American flags from your community and perform an official flag retirement ceremony.
2. Honoring the fallen: Another service project American Legion posts do as a matter of routine is to clean up graves at veterans cemeteries. Cleaning up 250 graves or completing 250 hours of such work, individually or as a team, would qualify. This could be done around Veterans Day, Memorial Day or any time of the year.
3. Wreaths Across America Day: American Legion posts regularly participate in Wreaths Across America (WAA) in mid-December. A post can work with WAA on securing 250 or more wreaths to lay at veterans graves during the annual recognition day.
4. Flag etiquette: The American Legion is the leading authority on flag education. Capitalize on that by teaching flag etiquette to children in schools, Scouting troops, church groups or in other forums.
5. Support the troops: American Legion Family members can collect items for 250 care packages to send to deployed troops.
6. Serving fellow veterans: American Legion posts often build a wheelchair ramp for a disabled veteran, take care of yard work or repairs for an older veteran, or perform other charitable tasks. Your post could combine for 250 hours of such work to complete this challenge category, based on what is needed and doable in your community.
7. Brighten the holidays: During the special time of year around Thanksgiving and Christmas, American Legion Family members can boost the spirits of those in need. Some ideas for the challenge include volunteering for 250 hours (or collecting 250 toys) as part of the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program; helping to prepare and distribute 250 meals at a homeless shelter; visiting and spending time with veterans at a retirement home to cheer them up (10 participants averaging 25 hours would qualify for 250 hours, for example).
8. Support the homeless or seniors: Collect 250 items or kits and distribute them to homeless veterans, or those living in a veterans retirement home. Commonly requested items for the homeless include toiletry items, socks, underwear, shoes and more. Items for seniors may include reading materials, puzzles, snacks and other entertainment items. Check with an appropriate nonprofit in your area on what is needed most.
9. Provide mentorship: Children & Youth is among the Legion’s four pillars. American Legion members regularly volunteer in programs such as Boys State/Nation, the oratorical contest, shooting sports, American Legion Baseball and other wholesome activities. A minimum of 250 hours in volunteer time or mentoring 250 youth participants served over the course of the next year would hit the mark in this category.
10. Squadrons and units: The USA 250 Challenge is open to all American Legion Family members. A unit and/or squadron could allocate hours they put toward supporting post members at various events toward the USA 250 Challenge.
Don’t forget to invite local media to your event as a way to demonstrate how your post is honoring America in its 250th year.
Resources:
• Need help tracking your miles or hours? Check out this handy how-to video tutorial.
• For ideas on the mental wellness challenge category, please see this previous article.
• How are you completing the challenge category or categories? Visit our Legiontown website to share your story.
- USA250 Challenge