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Impact Stories

Stronger Military Families

  • Canada’s National Ballet School partnership is a smash hit

    A 5-6-7-8! If you were part of the Sharing Dance with Veteran Families project, here’s how it might start. The instructor says: “I’m going to introduce myself and make a circular movement with my arms—I’m feeling very excited and happy to be here so I’m making an explosive movement and adding some jazz hands. When …

  • Youth Connect | Clic jeunesse – real-world support in a virtual space

    Imagine being a teen and learning that your family is moving across the country for a new armed forces posting. Again.  Imagine how tense and sad you’d feel leaving your home, your friends, your favourite places to hang out. Imagine your anxiety as you start over at a new school. Again.  Imagine not seeing your …

  • “When someone wears the uniform, their whole family serves” – Québec Veterans Foundation’s help for families

    The Fondation québécoise des Vétérans | Québec Veterans Foundation’s (FQV-QVF) Veterans and Family Program provides Veterans, their spouses, and children access to innovative programs and safe spaces where they can be themselves, breathe, and reenergize during challenging times created by a difficult transition to civilian life. “When someone wears the uniform, their whole family serves …

  • A family approach to mental health at the My True Power workshop

    Celebrating its third year in 2024, My True Power is a family-friendly workshop focusing on mental health, perseverance, and resiliency within the military community, while also creating community connections between people in and out of uniform. This year, Central Saskatchewan Military Family Resource Centre (CSMFRC) planned the workshop for January to coincide with the “Bell …

  • Mental Health Support Through Kids Help Phone

    Meet Theresa Roy, a Crisis Responder at Kids Help Phone and Operations Manager at Military Family Services. As someone who has been part of a military family, Theresa recognizes the struggle that children and spouses of those who serve go through each day. To provide mental health support to military families, True Patriot Love partnered …

  • Teaching Children to Identify their Emotions with Roots of Empathy

    To five-year-old Dylan, Master Corporal Blake Lakewood is a superhero and the best father in the whole entire world.  Whenever Dylan needs him, he is always there. But on Sept. 17, 2019 MCpl. Lakewood was deployed. Deployment was an unfamiliar concept for Dylan and brought up emotions that were difficult to express. But one day …

  • Finding Ability in Disability with the Canadian Association of Disabled Skiing

    See how the power of sport helped heal this military family.

  • Helping Parents Support their Families with PEI MFRC

    Prince Edward Island Military Family Resource Centre (PEI MFRC) has a long standing history of providing military and Veteran families with support in their times of need. For Christine Gordon Manley’s family, that support has proved vital. A self-employed editor who works from home, Christine has been married to Major Allan Manley for 16 years, …

  • Better Support for Military Children with Camp Maple Leaf

    Camp Maple Leaf is a non-profit camp for children of Canadian military families and children living with unique challenges. Beyond that however, it is a place that children can call “home base”. Centered around providing children with a place of connection and support, Camp Maple Leaf hosts a variety of sessions that target a number …

  • Getting Family Support with PEI MFRC

     Ben Miller joined the military 6 months after his twin brother in 2004. This was partially due to sibling rivalry but also because he wanted a challenge. However, his brother wasn’t the only military member in the family. Ben’s family is full of military members — Ben grew up listening to stories of his great-grandfather …

Well-being and Mental Health

Rehabilitation and Recovery

  • Invictus Games a Life-Changer for Double Gold Medalist

    Meet Alaina Mundy There is a cliché that says showing up is not good enough. But for Alaina Mundy and others who competed in the Invictus Games in the fall, showing up was everything. “You need to be brave enough to stand up in front of the world and just show up,” said the local …

  • The Artist’s Way: Veteran Barb Pierce on her path to healing and a new career

    MEET BARB PIERCE You may not know Barb Pierce but you probably know her artwork from True Patriot Love’s website: her evocative water colour of a sapling bending under the weight of fresh snow is our newest holiday ecard selection. For Pierce, the image of a sapling in snow speaks to hope, of bending but …

  • From Military Life to Croissant Magic: Erin’s Journey of Entrepreneurship and Dreams

    Meet Erin The magic to our cream-filled croissants is the right ratio of croissant and filling. Ours has been perfected and we are always rotating flavours and trying new things: this week is Nutella, my personal favourite is lemon. My husband Sean and I run this bakery ourselves: he does the baking and back-of-house and …

  • Bearing the Weight of Service: Erica’s Path to Healing and Purpose

    Meet Erica I was a soldier for 25 years with specialty qualifications in combat diving, parachuting, and mountain operations. Going underwater to blow things up. Jumping out of planes to go blow things up. Instructor in Combat Diving, Urban Operations, and Close Quarter Combat. I’ve done tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti. I’ve been first …

  • Supporting Recovery and Resilience with Canadian Adaptive Snow Sports National Capital Division

    Meet Warrant Officer (Retired) Levi Bradley From a young age, Levi knew they wanted to be around people and make a difference. Following in their grandfather’s footsteps who was in the merchant navy, Levi joined the military in 1990 as a reservist in the combat arms in the artillery. After completing their training, their interest …

  • From Injury to the Invictus Games with True Patriot Love

    True Patriot Love has helped change the lives of over 25,000 military and Veteran families. Families like the Trauners. With our help, they’re working toward Mike’s dream of competing in the 2020 Paralympics.

  • How the Invictus Games Helped Natacha Dupuis Regain Control

    Watch how the Invictus Games helped former Team Canada co-captain regain control of her life.

  • Healing with with Creative Arts – Soldier On

    Growing Up As children we grow up with aspirations we hold dear, things we’d like to accomplish when we’re older. For Desi Cozier, this dream became a reality when he joined the Navy as a weapons engineer. He thought about joining the military before, but didn’t know how. During his search for an electronic engineering …

  • Trying Your Hand at Something New – Soldier On

      Dave Carney served in the military from 1963 to 1991 as a military engineer, before retiring at the rank of Colonel. Following that, he served in the federal government for 12 years and then consulted for another five years before retiring.   He recalls his years in the military as being some of the most …

  • Rehabilitation and Recovery with the Invictus Games

    Natalie Lela Madeline Pye-Keenan served in the Canadian Army as a Mobile Support Equipment Operator with postings in Gagetown, Borden, and Petawawa. Natalie competed in the Invictus Games in The Hague. I was a last-minute addition to the team roster in the Invictus Games and I hadn’t met any of the other competitors until training …

  • Meet Jeremy Blair

    Jeremy Blair joined the military at 23 in search of meaning and purpose. During his 23-year military career, he served in the infantry and went on five deployments, including Kosovo in 1999; CFS Alert in 2001-2002; and completed three tours in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2007. Despite the heartbreaking outcome in Afghanistan, he was proud …

  • Meet James Strickland

    Commander (retired) James Strickland comes from a military family. His great-grandfather was a pilot in WWI, before Canada had an Air Force, and survived after being shot down in France. His father, and his father’s brother, bravely served in WWII. James joined the CAF in 1986. Over time, his career took him on a progressively …

Connecting with Community

  • Veteran Strong. Building Canada through Veteran volunteerism.

    Every day volunteers are needed across Canada to run activities, manage programs and execute the mission of tens of thousands of community organizations, big and small, in person or online – from homework clubs and food hubs, to disaster response and hospitals. Pandemic lockdowns were devastating to many community organizations and the people they served …

  • Business Mentorship with True Patriot Love’s Baffin Island Expedition

    Master Corporal (Retired) Natalie Forcier fought through mental health challenges following her medical release from the military. Natalie was chosen to participate as a Veteran in the True Patriot Love Women’s Expedition to Baffin Island and received valuable mentorship that gave her the courage to launch her business to help Veterans in need. This is …

  • Helping Veterans Transition to Civilian Life with The Roland Gossage Foundation

    What Is Soldiers in Tech?  Soldiers in Tech aims to help Veterans transition to civilian life by providing them with technical skills, training workshops and courses. Once Veterans have completed the program, they’ll be job-ready and will be connected to employment opportunities in their areas of training.  The Roland Gossage Foundation partners with Lighthouse Labs …

  • Transitioning Post Service with Prince’s Trust, Operation Entrepreneur

    Finding Support  Jay Renaud enlisted in the CAF at 17 and served for 13 years. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 where an IED injured him and took the lives of two of his crewmates. Despite being injured, he provided lifesaving first aid to another crewmate. Jay received the Medal of Military Valour by …

  • Are you familiar with “Pepper Potting”?

    “Our souls crave connection and belonging …” Are you familiar with the term ‘pepper potting’? It’s a military maneuver used when advancing for advancing toward the enemy. The idea is that when you move ahead, I cover you. And then I move ahead, and you cover me. Kind of like leap frogging. So no matter …