With 15 moves in 30 years, Margaret Mackenzie knows the demands of a military family lifestyle. Now settled in Kentville, she’s putting roots into efforts to build regional awareness of the Together We Stand Foundation.
“This is the only organization, a not-for-profit, not government; that supports military families,” she says of the Canadian-founded initiative for over 90,000 active Canadian Armed Forces families and over 460,000 veteran families.
Mackenzie is a volunteer member of TWS’s military family advisory committee. The group of military spouses, parents, serving members and veterans is the sounding board for much of TWS’ work to honour Canada’s military families, support any in need of a helping hand and educate other Canadians about the role of military families helping secure our country’s safety.
“Together We Stand’s founders’ parents were Holocaust survivors, and they wanted to give back – not to the military, but to the families who support the military who did so much for their family.”
The Eksteins donated 300 $50 gift cards for Canadian families with a deployed military member in 2017, launching TWS’s commitment to “keeping Canada’s military strong, by keeping their families stronger.”
Mackenzie, at 14 Wing Greenwood’s October Wing Welcome Rexpo display event, met one of those recipients.
“I heard from one of the original receivers, and she said how she cried when she received this gift. For the first time in the eight-month deployment, she felt seen and appreciated.”
TWS’ work is two-pronged: the practical and the more wide-sweeping.
Operation Care Package has delivered over 19,000 deployment packages with meaningful messages, comfort items and gifts to military families. Operation Emergency Fund, in partnership with Canadian Armed Forces’ chaplains, has supported over 2,300 military families within 72-hours with confidential funds to help through food insecurity, emergency childcare and housing challenges, and mental health services. Support Operation Fallen coordinates and collects Canadians’ messages of support during a military family’s time of grief, creating customized flags as memorable gifts for those families, and the member’s unit or squadron.
Beyond individual families, TWS urged Parliament in 2019 to establish a nationally-recognized day for Canadian military families: the third Friday in September is now known annually as Military Family Appreciation Day. TWS produces unbiased research into spousal employment issues, the impact of frequent and forced moves, isolation and mental health challenges, childcare struggles and the life of military children, access to health care and more. This is provided to the Canadian Armed Forces’ chain of command, and informs the military family advisory committee’s consideration of TWS’s responding programs and actions.
“I’m part of that committee, for three years – and I’ve been living it for 35 years, supporting the defence community,” says Mackenzie. “I’m a doer; I’m a networker – that’s my skill.”
Her experience on the home front, as her spouse deployed throughout his career; their life in Germany on an international posting; her need to re-invent a career with every move, and find a new professional and personal support network – all of it drives Mackenzie to see Together We Stand do well.
“You never know who’s going to ask for help.”
Visit Mackenzie at the May 9 Women’s Expo at the Kentville Centennial Arena or email her at virtualtwoconnect@gmail.com. Find out more about the Together We Stand Foundation at https://www.twsfoundation.ca, and follow on Facebook @ Together We Stand Foundation
