True Patriot Love Foundation » Media Coverage

True Patriot Love unveils HoH Plaques

Hilary Coles — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:32:01 +0000

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Aug. 18, 2011) – The True Patriot Love Foundation in partnership with the Government of Ontario today unveiled a bronze plaque to commemorate the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers and their families, which will be placed at 26 bridges along the Highway of Heroes. The event was hosted by Enbridge Gas Distribution, one of the first major supporters of the program which is sponsoring the Victoria Park bridge.

The money raised through plaque sponsorship will support military families through programs that help send children to summer camp, provide psychological counseling, retrofit homes and cars for soldiers returning with injuries or amputations, and rehabilitate wounded soldiers through sport.

Quotes:

“It’s a proud day to be Canadian when government, companies, regular citizens and a foundation all come together to recognize the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform and the families who serve by their side. On behalf of True Patriot Love, I would like to thank the government and our sponsors for their generous support in furthering our mission to support and celebrate military families.”

- Michael Burns, Vice Chair, True Patriot Love Foundation

“We welcome the sponsors’ commitment to recognizing the men and women in uniform who have lost their lives serving our country. The memorial plaque being unveiled today honours not only the fallen but also their families and their brothers and sisters in arms.”

- The Honourable Brad Duguid, MPP for Scarborough Centre & Minister of Energy

“Enbridge Gas Distribution is extremely proud to help honour the sacrifices made by Canadians in uniform. Since our company’s founding more than 160 years ago, hundreds of utility employees have served in the military. Many of those employees made the ultimate sacrifice for our country or were wounded. This initiative honours all those who have served their country and those who continue to serve today.”

- Glenn Beaumont, Senior Vice President, Enbridge Gas Distribution

“True Patriot Love is an inspirational demonstration of the love that Canadians, from every part of our society, have for those who serve Canada in our nation’s uniform, and for the families who stand beside and behind them. I am privileged, yet again this year, to be a part of something so good, and so fundamentally Canadian.”

-General (Ret’d) Rick Hillier, C.M.M., M.S.C., C.D.

Facts:

--  The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario has given True Patriot Love
    unique rights to display memorial plaques at bridges along the Highway
    of Heroes. From Trenton to Toronto there are 26 select overpasses that
    will feature these plaques. 

--  The plaque program honours those who have lost their lives serving our
    country and the families who have served by their side. This is done by
    picturing the ordinary Canadians who gathered on those bridges to
    welcome home those that fell and were being repatriated to their homes
    and families. True Patriot Love commissioned sculpted bronze plaques
    that will feature a sponsor's name or logo. 

--  Highway of Heroes Sponsors to date include Enbridge Gas Distribution,
    SkyLink Aviation, The Dunkley Charitable Foundation, 33 Signals
    Regiment, Porter Airlines, RE/MAX, THALES, Tim Hortons and WestJet. 

--  Over the last two years, True Patriot Love has raised more than $6
    million to support military families. True Patriot's Love third annual
    Gala is taking place on November 10th at the Allstream Centre, with more
    than 1,800 guests expected to attend. For the second consecutive year,
    Bell Canada is the title sponsor and so far more than $1.5 million has
    been raised for the dinner.

For more information about True Patriot Love, visit www.truepatriotlove.com.

To view the image associated with this press release, please see the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/818enb.pdf

$1.5M raised to support army families

TPLFoundation — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:15:21 +0000

CALGARY HERALD MARCH 5, 2011

The dress code for the event called for formal attire or military fatigues, with some wearing camouflage bow ties and cummerbunds.

Operation: Western Front, a gala evening held in Vancouver on Wednesday, attracted 900 guests and raised $1.5 million for initiatives designed to support soldiers and their families, including the Calgary Veterans’ Food Bank and the Calgary Military Family Resource Centre.

Another may be held in Calgary, likely in two years.

“It’s one of those causes that’s out of sight, out of mind,” said Calgary entrepreneur and philanthropist Brett Wilson, who organized the event with UCS Forest Group founder Warren Spitz.

Guests included Defence Minister Peter MacKay, defence staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons with his wife Shannon Tweed.

MFRC’s in Oromocto & Moncton along with The Wounded Warriors Fund and CFB Gagetown Benevolent Fund receive funds raised at the True Patriot Love Gala last fall

TPLFoundation — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:35:26 +0000

Three military charities split $150K raised at the True Patriot Love Gala held in Fredericton last fall.

Published Tuesday February 22nd, 2011

In front, from left, are: Oromocto Mayor Fay Tidd; Sandra Walsh and Claudia Beswick of the Moncton Military Family Resource Centre; and Maj. Al Murphy. In back, from left, are: Elisabeth Rybak, chairwoman of the True Patriot Love Dinner; Shala MacNeil, chairwoman of the Gagetown Military Family Resource Centre, Lt.-Col. Christopher Hand; Beth Corey of the Gagetown Military Family Resource Centre; and John Irving, chairman of the fundraising committee.

The Military Family Resource centres in Oromocto and Moncton each received $40,000.

The Wounded Warriors Fund gets $20,000 and the CFB Gagetown Benevolent Fund received $50,000.

Beth Corey, director of the Oromocto resource centre, said the money is a special gift.

“It means a tremendous amount to feel supported,” she said after a cheque-presentation ceremony in Oromocto on Monday.

“This money will go towards enhancing everything we do.”

The centre is used by more than 300 military families every day and is open during the week until 9 p.m., and also on Saturday, said Corey.

The extra money from the True Patriot Love Foundation will allow the centre to reach out further than normal to military families who do not live close by, she said.

“We are hoping to target some enhanced programs towards … the parents of our reservists, families that live outside of the Oromocto area,” she said.

“We have reserve units as far away as Edmonton.

“We have a tremendous amount of military families that live all over New Brunswick.”

Corey said she hopes to visit rural communities more often and enhance the resource centre’s website.

“That is going to make a huge difference,” she said.

The True Patriot Love Foundation is a national charity that was started in 2009 and has already raised millions of dollars to support members of the military and their families.

It helps pay for vehicles and adaptive fitness equipment for sick or injured soldiers, home renovations for injured soldiers, mental health counselling and camp for children whose parents are deployed overseas, said Elisabeth Rybak, the foundation’s Atlantic gala dinner chairwoman.

The dinner in Fredericton on Oct. 28 was the first time it has been held outside Toronto.

The event raised $313,000 or $150,000 after expenses.

Next year it’s scheduled to be held in Halifax.

CFB Gagetown base commander Col. Michael Pearson said the success of the fundraiser is a big boost for the morale of soldiers.

“It is fantastic to have the eye and the attention of the community in which we live,” he said.

“On behalf of the Canadian forces … this has been a great experience. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Base chaplain Padre Allan Murphy spoke on behalf of the benevolent fund that provides money to military families in emergency financial need.

He said sometimes families just need a little extra cash.

“It is by your care and concern by us who serve in the Canadian forces that this gift will be used locally,” he said.

Lt.-Col. Christopher Hand, commanding officer of the Joint Personnel Support Unit for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, spoke on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Fund. The fund supports Canadian soldiers who have suffered visible and non-visible wounds overseas.

“This money will be used to help all the soldiers that are posted to us or seek services through the JPSU … either in returning to health and returning to work with the Canadian forces or in their transition to civilian life,” he said.

Also attending Monday were John Irving, chairman of the fundraising committee, and Brian MacDonald, legislative secretary to the premier responsible for military affairs.

The Agenda with Steve Paikin: True Patriot Love

TPLFoundation — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:23:50 +0000

True Patriot Love

Posted on: 15 November 2010 by Steve Paikin

A few years ago, they held the “True Patriot Love” fundraiser for military families in someone’s home.

Last week, organizers held it at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, because more than 1,800 people wanted to attend.

To see how much more pride Canadians have in their military, one need go no further than this event. Through ticket sales, silent auctions, sponsorships, and other fundraising measures, this foundation raised more than $2 million in one night.

All the brightest lights in Canada’s military establishment were on hand. And even America’s top general, David Petraeus, send a speech by video from Afghanistan.

The highlight of the event was a speech by military widow Jacqueline Girouard, whose husband was killed in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, she enlisted after his death to “complete” his service. One of her sons is also in the military, and her daughter, now expecting her first child, also married a military man.

The sacrifice this one family has made and continues to make is astonishing.

Keynote speaker Jacqueline Girouard, whose husband was killed in Afghanistan.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Walter Natynczyk, Canada’s top soldier.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay

Former CDS Rick Hillier offers some advice.

Liberal MP Bob Rae talks with Liberal MPP Monte Kwinter

The Financial Post: Moving Forward by Remembering the Past

TPLFoundation — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:13:42 +0000

Shaun Francis, Special to the National Post · Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

One morning in November, four years ago, the doorbell’s ring woke up Jacqueline Girouard. It was 1:30 a.m.

She went downstairs hoping that what woke her wasn’t what she feared every night when she went to sleep. She opened the door and saw that it was. Six uniformed men stood before her. They didn’t have to say anything.

Her husband of 27 years, Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Girouard, had deployed to Afghanistan four months before. As the regimental sergeant major of the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, Girouard was the senior non-commissioned officer in a unit of 1,200 soldiers. His appointment required him to function as an objective advisor to his unit commander, Lt. Col. Omer Lavoie.

Girouard had returned home to the couple’s Petawawa, Ont., home for three weeks earlier that November during a holiday that included an early Christmas with his three children, Robert Jr., (now 27), Jocelyn, 25, and Michael, 24. On Nov. 23, he returned to Kandahar, where he celebrated his 46th birthday two days later.

He spoke with Jacqueline at 10:30 p.m. on the evening of Nov. 26, just before he was to head out of the fortified airfield as part of an armoured convoy. Shortly after his eight-wheeled armoured carrier left the base, a civilian vehicle drove up alongside it and detonated. Just hours after the couple’s phone call, Jacqueline headed off toward Kingston, to begin the nighttime wakeups that would result in each of her children being informed of their father’s death.

Girouard and another distinguished soldier who died during the incident, Cpl. Albert Storm, were the 44th and 45th Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan since 2002. The number of Canadian soldier casualties now stands at 152. Doubtless, before the Canadian combat mission concludes in July of 2011, that number will climb.

As we mark the final Remembrance Day before the scheduled end of our combat service in the war in Afghanistan, it seems a good time to acknowledge the peculiar challenge this new coterie of war casualties and veterans represents to the citizens of Canada.

Take the poppy, which many associate with the sacrifices of veterans of the two world wars. Poppy fields exist also in Afghanistan. It’s time to renew the poppy — to include veterans of the war in

Afghanistan within our symbolic remembrances. When we think of war heroes, many of us still envision the older men and women who served in conflicts long ago — in either of the world wars, or perhaps Korea. And they certainly deserve our memorials. But we must also remember a new generation of heroes, who walk among us today. Heroes who volunteered for their service; heroes motivated by a sense of duty–a desire to protect our democratic society.

It is so easy to forget their sacrifices. Kandahar airfield is approximately 11,000 kilo-metres away from the city where I’m now writing this. Many people in Canada’s bigger cities don’t personally know a single soldier. Amid the banal realities of our mostly urban existences — a PowerPoint presentation due by the end of the day, a deposit to make at the bank by the end of the week — such realities fade into the background. We barely have time to remember to pick up the kids from school, let alone remembering the sacrifices of the brains and bodies that fill the dusty fatigues, thousands of kilometers from home.

Yet we must remember. We must, because the people in those dusty fatigues are making it possible for us to live out our harried, hectic existences.

We must also do more than remember — not just out of a duty to these soldiers who have sacrificed so much, but also because it’s smart policy for us as a country.

As we prepare to conclude the combat portion of our

mission in Afghanistan, we must look forward to the next phase of the Canadian military. Our soldiers have distinguished themselves in that country since 2002. The best way to secure the excellence of our fighting forces, going forward, is to honour the sacrifices of those who have already fought for us. Canada’s best will only view the military as a viable career path in the future if we are seen to care for veterans and their families from current or past conflicts.

Over the last several years, we have improved several times over our capacity to care for veterans of the war in Afghanistan and their families. We’ve founded and funded such organizations as the Military Families Fund, Soldier On and Military Families Resource Centres. The children of Bobby Girouard have benefited from some of these initiatives. For example, all three of his children have attended school with the help of scholarships awarded by Canada Company and Project Hero, a program started by retired general Rick Hillier and businessmen Kevin Reed and Blake Goldring

Jacqueline Girouard always will mourn her husband. But she’s come a long way from the shock that followed the death of her long-time friend and partner. A year after CWO Girouard died, Jacqueline Girouard joined the Canadian military at the age of 46. The reasons she did were complex. It wasn’t to prolong her husband’s legacy. Her husband’s legacy would have continued regardless of what she did, she felt. “I knew Bob loved what he did,” she says, “and by being a part of it, now I know why. It was something I just felt compelled to do.”

Today, she’s a private who works in logistics at CFB Kingston. Both her sons joined the military; her daughter also is married to a soldier. Years after the death of her husband, Jacqueline Girouard continues to respect and honour the Canadian military. Our challenge as a country is to ensure more veterans and their families feel the same way as Jacqueline Girouard.

- Shaun Francis is the founder of the True Patriot Love Foundation, whose 2011 gala will be held tonight at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The goal of the event is to surpass the $2-million the foundation raised at a similar event last year for such charities as the Military Families Fund, Soldier On and Military Family Resource Centres. For more information, please visit truepatriotlovefoundation.com.

The National Post: Dinner raises $2.4M for soldiers’ families

TPLFoundation — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:01:26 +0000

Defence Minister Peter MacKay, General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff and Shaun Francis, Chair of the True Patriot Love Foundation

National Post · Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010

Among the red coats and tuxedos, the cocktails and the celebrity dancers stood Private Jackie Girouard, the 40-something mother of three from Bathurst, N.B., explaining to a crowd of nearly 2,000 on the eve of Remembrance Day her journey from grieving soldier’s widow to soldier herself.

“I had nothing to lose really,” said Private Girouard of her decision to enlist in the military 15 months after her husband, 29-year veteran Chief Warrant Officer Robert Michael Girouard, was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2006.

“It was a healing journey. Also, I wanted to salute his grave. There’s a lot of reasons why. I felt compelled to do it.”

This was moments before Pte. Girouard was set to speak as a guest of honour at the True Patriot Love Foundation Gala held at a Toronto convention centre. About 1,800 guests paid $750 a plate to attend the dinner last night that raised $2.4-million to support the Military Family Fund, created by retired General Rick Hillier when he was Canada’s chief of defence staff to pay for unanticipated costs of military families. Those costs can be anything the government programs don’t already cover, from travel costs for relatives to attend the repatriation ceremonies of fallen soldiers, to education costs for returning veterans.

It helps people such as Pte. Girouard’s daughter, who accessed money from the fund to pay for home support after she injured herself while her husband, who is also in the military, was on a 10-month rotation in Afghanistan.

The dinner attracted the likes of Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff General Walt Natynczyk and featured performances from the TV show So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Its star-studded list of fund-raising and tribute committee members include all recent former (and the current) prime ministers, provincial premiers, former governors-general and heads of major corporations — everyone from John Turner to Jean Chretien, from Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce to Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair.

Supporters say money is needed now more than ever as Canadian military deaths in Afghanistan topped 150 and the federal government mulls extending Canada’s time in Afghanistan until 2014 and turning it into a training mission.

But for talk of Canada’s future in Afghanistan, last night’s dinner was a celebration of soldiers and their families, like Pte. Girouard, whose life was torn apart by a 1:30 a.m. knock at the door of her home at CFB Petawawa on Nov. 27, 2006.

Since her husband was killed, Pte. Girouard’s oldest son, Robert, has served seven months in Afghanistan. Pte. Girouard, now stationed at CFB Kingston, says joining the military has helped her find answers about her husband’s death. She hopes to uncover more answers by serving in Afghanistan one day herself.

“If you want to know what’s happening in Afghanistan you have to go there. It’s something I have to do to get the answers I need.”

The Toronto Star: Gala Raises Millions for Canadian Troops

TPLFoundation — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:00:48 +0000

When Gen. Walt Natynczyk met two Canadian sergeants sitting on top of a tank in Kandahar last Christmas Eve, they had one question.

“They wondered if anyone back home cared what they were doing,” the chief of defence staff for the Canadian Armed Forces recalled of that Afghan mountaintop meeting.

“They wondered does Canada care.”

On Wednesday evening they got an answer as 1,800 people — the vast majority of them civilians — attended a True Patriot Love Foundation gala in Toronto to raise money for the country’s service members and their families.

“It’s an event that allows people to show and express their gratitude to our men and women and their families for the often silent sacrifices that go unnoticed,” said Michael Burns, the foundation’s vice-chair.

Held on the eve of Remembrance Day, the gala was expected to raise $2.3 million for the foundation, which offers money to Canadian service families for any number of needs.

“It provides them with a number of basic things that they require throughout the course of the year in order to really, in effect, try and make their lives normal,” Burns said.

Funds could be dispensed to retrofit homes for soldiers returning with injuries or amputations, help pay for psychological counselling for spouses or children, or even for car repairs and clothing for families with spouses and parents in the field.

An ongoing Toronto Star investigation has shown that many service members feel neglected by a government and country they have fought for.

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre dinner drew brass from across the forces and federal Defence Minister Peter MacKay, who was accompanied by former Miss World contestant Nazanin Afshin-Jam.

“Here in the heart of Toronto it’s really heartwarming to see the level of support and the numbers of people who have come from all walks of life to support this event,” MacKay said.

Money was raised through table purchases, several blue ribbon corporate sponsors and silent auctions.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/888969–gala-raises-millions-for-canadian-troops

Marketer News: Fuse Helps Build True Patriot Love

TPLFoundation — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:15:32 +0000

Marketer News

November 05, 2010 | By Chris Powell

Fuse Marketing Group has developed a marketing campaign to generate corporate support and raise awareness of the True Patriot Love Foundation’s (TPL) upcoming fundraising gala.

Fuse began working with TPL, a citizen-created group that boasts a mandate of “building bridges” between civilians and the military, last year.

The Toronto agency created the organization’s brand identity, marketing and direct mail materials.

“[Canada's military action] isn’t some abstract thing with people that you’ve never seen serving in faraway lands,” said Brenda McNeilly, Fuse’s vice-president, creative director. “This is the son or your neighbour or co-worker.”

McNeilly said the bulk of Fuse’s marketing efforts this year have been directed at the corporate community through direct mail and direct-response print ads.

This year’s black tie gala, which takes place Nov. 10 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, has attracted significant corporate sponsorship from the likes of CTV, GE, KPMG, Rogers Communications, RBC and Telus.

The event comprises a significant portion of TPL’s fundraising initiatives. Last year’s inaugural event drew 1,700 people including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. It raised approximately $2 million.

One direct-mail piece promoting the 2010 gala shows a woman in combat fatigues holding a young girl with copy that says “When a man or woman serves in the Canadian military, their family serves along with them.”

The campaign’s most compelling element is a series of authentic military helmets that have been redesigned as works of art by everyone from professional artists and athletes to school children. Each will be auctioned off at the gala.

One of the helmets created for this year’s event features a built-in View-master that tells the story of a Canadian solider who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan but pushed himself through physiotherapy and rehabilitation in order to walk down the aisle with his bride.

“The premise is that to truly understand what a person serving in a faraway land goes through, you have to see through their eyes,” said McNeilly. “It’s the story of a real person and the family that supported him. It makes it a little bit more real.”

NB – PEI Tribute Dinner raises $313,000 in support of Canadian Military Families

TPLFoundation — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:06:52 +0000

Soldiers | People say thanks to military

BY JODY NABUURS
FOR THE DAILY GLEANER

Evening of class, remembrance and giving at the Delta Fredericton Hotel on Thursday night.

Roughly 400 people decked out in their finest formal attire came out to the True Patriot Love Foundation charity dinner to support New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island military members and their families.

As they dined in style and listened to the sounds of the Marlant military band, they opened their wallets to the tune of nearly $313,000.

Dignitaries from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the federal government sat at the head table, ready to take the microphone to pay their highest respects to the men and women in uniform and their families.

They included Lt.-Gov. Graydon Nicholas, New Brunswick Premier David Alward, Speaker of the Senate Noel Kinsella, and Keith Ashfield, minister of National Revenue, minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and minister for the Atlantic Gateway.

“We all go through life attempting to do good things,” Nicholas said.

“They show us that they can make a difference here and around the world. They do it so we can enjoy freedom.”

Alward spoke about New Brunswick’s profound respect for and connection to the military.

“New Brunswick has one of the highest military enrolment rates of all provinces today. It’s easy to see why so many New Brunswickers support our military,” he said.

As an honorary navy captain, Kinsella said he has seen the lengths members of the Canadian military go to to protect the country’s freedom.

“I can state without any hesitation or reservation that they represent everything that is great and good in Canada,” he said.

Ashfield said the success of the event is “a great example of communities coming together to show support and respect for our troops and their families.”

“The Canadian military has been there, shoulder to shoulder and boot to boot, with the best in the world. God bless those who made the ultimate sacrifice. God bless the men and women in uniform, and God bless their families.”

Other keynote speakers included Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, Warrant Officer Dale Verge, and Col. Michael Pearson, commander of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Lt. (Navy) Alain Blondin, who spent 10 months serving in Afghanistan, said he’s humbled by the overwhelming support and recognition.

“It’s humbling because in the end, that’s not what we do it for. It’s a great job. It’s demanding but it’s a dream come true,” Blondin, a public affairs adviser for CFB Gagetown, said in an interview.

“We don’t do this to be recognized but it’s nice when somebody comes up to you and shakes your hand and says thank you.”

The money raised came from ticket sales, a silent auction, event sponsorships, and the purchase of family tree sculptures will support three military charities: Canadian Forces Benevolent Fund, Military Family Resource Centres and the Wounded Warriors Fund.

It was the first time the event was held in Atlantic Canada. To date, it has been held only in Toronto.

Shaun Francis, chairman of True Patriot Love, said he hopes to bring the event to the East every year.

“Hearing thank you from the community at least once a year really helps the military members psychologically.”

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/gallery/1284055,614726;1

From left, Warrant Officer Dale Verge, who was a guest speaker at the True Patriot Love dinner, is shown with his wife Nancy speaking to Wayne Johnston, president and founder of Wounded Warriors.

Lt.-Gov. Graydon Nicholas and his wife Elizabeth walk by an honour guard as they attend the True Patriot Love dinner at the Delta Fredericton Hotel on Thursday night.

Time Transcript: Benefit Dinner to include art auction

TPLFoundation — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:45:07 +0000

Military helmets will be on display in Moncton today and tomorrow

The Following was published in October 22, 2010 edition of Times Transcript

BY YVON GAUVIN
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

FREDERICTON – It’s a marriage of art and military as local artists contribute military helmets transformed into works of art to auction off for the benefit of injured soldiers and their families.

The helmets will be auctioned off at the True Patriot Love Foundation’s 2010 Tribute Dinner Thursday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. at the Delta Fredericton Hotel in Fredericton. Proceeds from the fundraising dinner and auction will go to three charities that benefit New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island military personnel and their families: Canadian Forces Benevolent Fund, Military Family Resource Centres and the Wounded Warriors Fund.

Graydon Nicholas, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, and Barbara A. Hagerman, Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward Island, are patrons of the tribute dinner.

The helmets will be on display in four cities over the next week. The first display is tomorrow and Saturday at Moncton’s Delta Beauséjour Hotel lobby from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The other locations are Delta hotels Charlottetown on Sunday, Saint John on Monday and Tuesday and Fredericton on Wednesday and Thursday.

The display will be accompanied by a member of the Canadian Forces in uniform.

“In the spirit of remembrance and support, we hope that people will take the opportunity to come and see the inspired works of our local artists,” said Elisabeth Rybak, event chairman and provincial chairman of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council in New Brunswick.

“We are very pleased to sponsor the True Patriot Love Foundation’s 2010 NB-PEI Tribute Dinner helmet auction,” said Peter Bessey, senior vice-president, Atlantic Region, Scotiabank Group.

“The marriage of the arts and the military in this fashion is a very unique opportunity for each group to support the other. The funds raised through the auction will have a direct positive impact on the lives of many soldiers and families,” he said.

Julie Fotheringham, executive director of the True Patriot Love Foundation, thanked the artists for their contribution.

“The care, thought and creativity that has gone in to these works of art are truly inspiring. The emotions they evoke in people will be truly thought-provoking,” she said.

John K.F. Irving is chairman of the fundraising committee.

Tickets are $200 each and are available now by calling 1-877-990-0949 or by visiting the True Patriot Love Foundation website at www.tpl-nbpei.com. For information on sponsoring the event, call Elisabeth Rybak at 506-962-0802.

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/1274109