Events

Military Family Appreciation evening in Kanata

Three community organizations in Kanata are teaming up to show military members and their families how much their service means by hosting a Military Family Appreciation Evening.

Recognizing that families that live farther from the base or military organizations can sometimes fall through the cracks, Pastor William Finnemore of Pathway Church decided to put on an event for the military families of Kanata. Finnemore, who has a military connection himself with a son in the regular forces, first thought of the idea after a conversation with a friend who was retired colonel. military3-663x1024

“We were talking about the fact that there are numerous military families in our community who have experiences and life challenges that are unique to serving in our forces. As we talked, we thought it would be great if could organize a community event to honour and appreciate them. The very definition or the word “appreciate” refers to value and we do value our military personnel and their families,” stated Pastor Finnemore.

Finnemore reached out to his friend Father Pierre Champoux of Holy Redeemer in Kanata, who served as a reservist between 1981-1984 and was also Cadet Chaplain at 8 Wing Trenton for several years, to get on board to bring this idea to life. The event is also in partnership with the Military Christian Fellowship.

Families attending the festivities will be treated to a BBQ and pizza dinner with the backdrop of live music followed by “Movie in the Park” featuring the movie McFarland.

“We hope that through this event our military families will see that they are appreciated and also that they would be able to connect with others in the community,” said Pastor Finnemore.

The event is a community grassroots effort drawing in local businesses like the Real Canadian Superstore and Jo Jo’s Pizza, who are supplying food for the evening.

The main challenge for the Pastor, since the event is independent of the base or MFRC, is getting the word out.

“The challenge in doing this for the first time is to connect with families,” said Finnemore.

The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. rain or shine at the Maurice Lapointe School Park. RSVP at [email protected]

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Mishall Rehman

Originally from Atlanta, GA, Mishall is a freelance journalist pursuing her passion for writing in her new homeland Canada. She currently lives in Trenton, ON with her husband.

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