Happy Harry’s gives back to military families
By H&R MFRC,
Every year, local businesses give back to countless non-profit organizations as a way to support causes and charities that are important to them within their community. John Canning, owner of Happy Harry’s Affordable Building Centre in Burnside, adopted this same philosophy and looked for a charity he could relate to. Growing up with a strong military heritage, having a father serve in the Korean War and a grandfather who lost his life in Italy during the Second World War, he decided to support the military community by donating to the Halifax & Region MFRC.
“Since I grew up with military ties I understand the challenges that are associated with this lifestyle. I also have a large clientele of military folks who are undergoing home renovations after being posted here, so it’s important for me to support those who support us. The H&R MFRC seemed like the right fit,” said Canning.
For the past seven years, Happy Harry’s has generously donated 10% of all sales made between November 1 and 10 to the H&R MFRC in remembrance of his family’s military roots and commemorating his nephew’s current service with the CAF.
This year’s fundraiser raised $20,561.44, which will be used to provide a variety of vital programs, services and support to CAF families in our community.
In total, Happy Harry’s has donated $113,245.15. On behalf of the H&R MFRC, thank you to Happy Harry’s for supporting military families.
Happy Harry’s donne en retour aux familles des militaires
Chaque année, pour soutenir les causes et les œuvres de charité qui leur tiennent à cœur, les entreprises locales donnent en retour à d’innombrables organismes sans but lucratif de leur collectivité. John Canning, propriétaire de Happy Harry’s Affordable Building Centre à Burnside, a adopté la même philosophie en cherchant un organisme de bienfaisance auquel il pouvait s’identifier. Ayant grandi dans une famille de longue tradition militaire – son père a servi pendant la guerre de Corée et son grand-père a perdu la vie en Italie au cours de la Seconde Guerre mondiale – il a décidé de soutenir la communauté militaire, en faisant des dons au CRFM d’Halifax et régions.
« Étant donné que j’ai grandi dans une famille de militaires, je comprends les difficultés inhérentes à ce mode de vie. J’ai également de nombreux clients qui entreprennent des travaux de rénovation de leur maison, après leur affectation ici. Il est donc important pour moi de soutenir ceux qui nous soutiennent au départ. Le CRFM d’Halifax et régions semblait être le bon choix, » a affirmé Canning.
Au cours des sept dernières années, Happy Harry’s a généreusement fait don de 10 % du total des ventes effectuées entre le 1er et le 10 novembre au CRFM d’Halifax et régions, en hommage aux racines militaires de sa famille et en l’honneur de son neveu qui est actuellement en service dans les FAC.
Cette année la collecte de fonds a récolté 20 561,44 $, ce qui sera utilisé pour fournir une gamme de programmes, de services et de soutiens aux familles des FAC dans notre communauté.
Au total, Happy Harry’s a donné 113 245,15 $. Au nom du CRFM d’Halifax et régions, merci à Happy Harry’s pour leur soutien des familles militaires.
Vacation Lottery Extravaganza Winner for March
Gagnant de la loterie Extravaganza Vacances au soleil pour le mois de mars
Congratulations to Lt(N) Ryan Levasseur, MARLANT HQ, grand prize winner of the H&R MFRC’s Vacation Lottery Extravaganza for March. Félicitations à Lt(N) Ryan Levasseur, MARLANT HQ grand gagnant du tirage de mars de la loterie Extravaganza Vacances au soleil du CRFM H et R.
National Volunteer Week is approaching
This year, National Volunteer Week is April 15 to April 21. On behalf of the H&R MFRC, thank you to all of our amazing and dedicated volunteers for your continued support.
Throughout National Volunteer Week we will highlight the impact of volunteers at the H&R MFRC. Check us out on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/HalifaxRegionMFRC
Virtual Workshops at the H&R MFRC
The H&R MFRC is committed to reaching more families by offering workshops and sessions virtually. Virtual programs allow family members to join us from the comfort of your own homes or wherever else you might be. Virtual sessions are also recorded so they can be accessed afterwards on our website if the original dates and times are not convenient.
To provide this new method of program delivery, staff at the H&R MFRC are led by Margaret Mackenzie, a military spouse and award winning virtual program development and delivery coordinator. By working closely with Margaret, we are able to offer a number of interactive virtual workshops, as an extension of the high quality programming currently available to military families.
The following programs are coming up:
Strongest Families Institute: Learn more about the services available to military families
March 27, 7-8 p.m.
Join us for this one-hour information session to learn more about Strongest Families, a local organization that provides services to children from 3-17 years of age and families seeking help for mental health and other issues impacting health and wellbeing. Military families have access to this service through the H&R MFRC’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Team.
H&R MFRC Military Family Resiliency Series
Guest Speaker: Monica Bobbitt- A Goat’s Rodeo
April 25, 8 p.m.
We are thrilled to kick off this new series by welcoming military spouse Monica Bobbitt to our interactive virtual classroom. Authentic, honest, and at times raw, Monica describes her life as a goat rodeo. She will share what she has learned about resiliency, happiness and building community after she lost her husband in May 2014.
To access these workshops and to learn more, please visit: http://www.halifaxmfrc.ca. Do you have suggestions for future topics? Please email your ideas to: kara.macneil@forces.gc.ca for consideration.
The H&R MFRC is able to provide some of this alternative method of programming to families with the generous funding of the True Patriot Love Foundation (TPL). TPL is a national charity with the mission to inspire every Canadian to contribute to the resilience and wellbeing of our military and veteran families. Since 2009, TPL has provided more than $18 million to support military families, including supporting more than 100 community-based programs across the country. For more information, visit www.truepatriotlove.com.
Dartmouth Yacht Club Youth Learn to Sail Program
Dartmouth Yacht Club offers a Youth Learn to Sail Program. It offers several sponsorship spots for children of military families to participate in this program. Each session runs for two weeks (Monday to Friday). Youth aged 8 to 15 who are interested are asked to submit a 200 word essay on why they should be chosen. Essays will be judged and the selected youth will be notified. Please send essays to sarah-jean.mannette@forces.gc.ca no later than Friday, May 4 to be entered. New applicants only please.
