14 Wing Greenwood has a big footprint as the Royal Canadian Air Force’s largest East Coast base – but it also has a big heart.
Santa Claus put some time in on the December 2 food drive line with members of Communications and Information Systems (CIS) Flight, their fifth – and best – year collecting cash and non-perishables at all three base gate during the morning’s arrival traffic.
“The charity work is wonderful to see – anytime of year, but it really warms my heart to see that the military members – who come from places all across Canada – feel at home in whatever community they are posted in,” Santa said. “Greenwood is a great place to work, but it’s also a great place to live.”
That was CIS Flight Master Warrant Officer Rod Colbourne’s thought, too, as his family arrived here in 2021 from a military posting in Colorado.
“They were doing a food bank drive there,” Colbourne said. He also had experience on an earlier posting at 8 Wing Trenton, where aerospace telecommunications and information systems technicians coordinated an annual food drive; “so we started one here – and then my wife and I actually joined the food bank volunteer group.
“Becoming part of the community and giving back is important. It’s especially important with a lot of us military members at smaller bases around the country, where we really are such a big part of the community.”
CIS Flight’s now-annual December food drive is the tip of the 14 Wing’s charitable iceberg. Santa keeps a list: 14 Fire Emergency Services’ annual Muscular Dystrophy boot drive; the image technicians’ offer to take military family portraits for food bank donations; the wing cleaners, who collect refundables and add up the cashed-in deposits; the admin pool’s annual fundraiser to support holiday hampers for local families; the Military Police Fund for Blind Children; 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron’s annual Top of the Pyramid hockey tournament, raising funds in honour of a former Tusker affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; the toy drive in support of the community hamper program….
“And, if you think even 100 people on the base are doing volunteer work” – coaching sports, helping in schools, leading youth groups, serving as community firefighters, in their church; Colbourne says – “think how that adds up!”
Overarching the many smaller activities across 14 Wing is Combined Charities, the base’s coordinated workplace giving program. Military and civilian unit representatives volunteer to organize 50/ 50 draws, collect casual dress Friday toonies and organize special events. Their efforts happen year-long, but ‘tis the season: a Christmas craft fair earlier in November and December 6’s marquee Festival of Trees raffle at the Greenwood Mall raises the bulk of Combined Charities’ event funds. The end result is between $20,000 and $40,000 shared annually in cash and kind (food, socks, toiletries) with several dozen local and regional non-profit organizations that work in schools, food security, youth sports, veterans and military family programs, animal welfare and more.
“Every time I come to Greenwood, I see the 14 Wing team hard at work – and working for the community, too,” said Santa. “Their Combined Charities’ motto – ‘Locally, we make a difference’ – that’s the giving spirit I like to see!”
