“When one person wears the uniform, the whole family serves.” 

September 20 is Military Family Appreciation Day for 2024. Held on the third Friday in September, it’s a day dedicated to recognizing the invaluable contributions of military families and raising awareness about the profound impact they have on our nation. 

Saluting the service and recognizing the sacrifice 

There are 68,000 regular force military families are posted in Canada, with more than half under the age of 35 and half with children. 

The service of those in the military is vital but it’s also physically and mentally taxing. The kind of focus and intensity that is needed in the field or on deployment can make home life, mental health and personal relationships complicated.  

  • An estimated 10,000 families are required to relocate each year, of which approximately 8,000 must move to a new province or territory.  
  • Forces members can be away from their families from a single day up to 15 months at a time. 
  • 2,500 military personnel are medically released each year, with approximately 700 spouses and 900 children also impacted. 
  • Children from military families experience double the rate of mental health issues compared to children from civilian families. 

How you’re helping to support military families 

Thanks to you, True Patriot Love is able to invest in programs that support serving members of the Forces and Veterans, as well as their children and spouses, the unsung heroes of military life.  

The generosity of donors like you enables True Patriot Love to fund programs that address all stages of a military family’s journey, whether it’s helping families learn better communication through equine therapy and mindfulness workshops, phone-based coaching for parents, sleepover summer camps or virtual communities for teens.  

Your thoughtful support is an important investment in the health and stability of military families, on this special day of recognition and every day. 

Learn more about how True Patriot Love’s funding supports programs for families in our Impact Report and other stories of impact.  

Connect to more resources for military families 

  • True Patriot Love’s Veteran Hub connects Veterans, serving military members and their families with services, events and volunteering opportunities in their communities.  
  • Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) offers serving military and Veteran families a broad range of services and supports, including help with relationships, grief, moving, dealing with illness and injury, stress management and transitioning to civilian life.