OTTAWA - A fund set up by former general Rick Hillier to support military families in crisis is about to get a massive shot in the arm thanks to the efforts of a private foundation.
The True Patriot Love Foundation will host a gala dinner in Toronto on Nov. 10 with the proceeds going to support the Canadian Military Families Fund.
Shaun Francis, CEO of Medcan Health Management Inc. who chairs the event, says over $1.5 million has been raised so far and after the expenses are paid he expects to present the fund with a cheque for well over $1 million.
It would be the largest single donation to the organization that was set up in 2007 by Hillier when he was chief of defence staff.
"It'll be an enormous boost," Hillier said of the planned donation.
"It will enable military commanders across the country to respond in the event of (family) emergencies and meet family challenges, particularly when the member is deployed around the world."
The fund covers a variety of unanticipated short-term expenses not covered by the federal government as part of benefits provided to military members.
In launching the fund, Hillier said it was meant to complement, not replace, existing public programs.
The sharp increase in combat deaths in Afghanistan around 2006 was accompanied by a massive outpouring of public sympathy for the military.
The Defence Department found itself overwhelmed with donations of all kinds and Hillier set up the fund partly as a way to channel that support in conjunction with the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency, which administers military social programs.
The fund took in $821,000 last year, with the biggest amount coming from direct, private donations.
It dispersed just over $252,000 to military families -- cash that Hillier said was vitally needed and appreciated.
"With all the stress they have, (this fund) helps keep families from breaking," he said.
The fund was tapped to help relatives of soldiers killed in combat, who were not covered by Defence Department reimbursement, to attend the repatriation services at CFB Trenton, Ont.
It was Francis who came up with the idea of a foundation to act as a regular fundraising vehicle for the military families fund.
Both he and Hillier plan to make the dinner an annual event, moving it to different cities in the country as a way to get people involved coast-to-coast.
They chose Nov. 10 deliberately because it falls on the eve of Remembrance Day.
"Some of us stop for a minute on the 11th, but for the most part it's a holiday that tends to celebrate prior sacrifice. We thought: wouldn't it be great to take the evening before to pay recognition to the current sacrifice," said Francis, who as a Canadian attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland before embarking on a business career on Wall St.
He views setting up the true patriot foundation as a way to give back.
"I didn't have the prolific military career of Gen. Hillier, but at least I could help the guy raise some money for his cause," he said. "We have several thousand people in the armed services who've chosen to serve their country for very little pay and have made extreme sacrifices and I thought that's something that should be celebrated as well."
