Military Family Appreciation Day.

A Day For Military Families.

“The families of our Canadian Armed Forces members are tremendously important, but often the forgotten glue that keeps everything together back home when our brave men and women in uniform are doing their jobs to keep Canadians safe here and around the world. Their fellow Canadians are often unaware of the enormous sacrifices and long separations from loved ones that these families endure.”

Rick Ekstein, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board, Together We Stand.

The Third Friday In September.

Working closely with Members of Parliament from every Federal political party, Together We Stand established a nationally recognized day for Canadian military families through the introduction and passage of a Unanimous Consent Motion in the House of Commons on June 19th, 2019. Now, the third Friday in September is known annually as Military Family Appreciation Day across Canada, the first and only day in Canada dedicated to our military families.

On behalf of our organization, we’d like to thank Gen. Andrew Leslie (Ret’d), the Hon. Ed Fast, and MP Murray Rankin for their support, and Member of Parliament, Phil McColeman who moved our motion in the House of Commons.

5.9M

Social Reach

8.2M

Broadcast Reach

17.92M+

Overall Canadians Reached

Giving Thanks.

…I can’t thank you enough for all that you do, supporting our troops wherever they may be – at home or abroad, in the security of this country. As a military spouse, I appreciate and understand all you do, and thank you so much.

- The Vance Family

We know when our servicemen go off to serve, it’s not just them that make sacrifices – it’s their entire family that makes that sacrifice…thank you to all those brave men and women for everyone they do.

- Terry Beech

We know that when the men and woman of the Canadian Armed Forces serve, their families serve alongside them. And their support is so important to the strength of Canada’s military…I want to thank Canada’s Military Families for all that they do.

- Darren Fisher

I know that Albertans are proud of our Canadian Armed Forces members and the work that they do, but today we recognize the amazing work and sacrifice of military families…Canadian Military families make daily sacrifices in order to support their military member – both on home soil and abroad.

- Brad Rutherford

The #HomeFortChallenge is all about saying thank you to the military families who love and support the members of our Canadian Armed Forces. As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces serves, their family serves alongside them. To those families who five so much, we offer our most heartfelt thank you.

- Andy Fillmore

Why?

The goal of MFAD is to raise awareness of the challenges, to recognize the resiliency and to thank military families for their sacrifices, as they support their loved ones serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (regular and reserve force).

There is an evident connection between a steady home front and the unimpeded ability of the Canadian Armed Forces members to focus on their important missions. Simply put, their #HomeFort’s are the place of safety and security that military members return to when their work to protect the safety and security of Canada is done.

Their families take on all of the responsibilities of keeping these havens ready for their return. They cover everything at home willingly and without expectation of acknowledgment. They are just as much a part of the journey as the active member, but they do not wear the uniform. Our military families deserve our thanks and appreciation for shouldering these tasks alone while their military family members protect all Canadians.

Who?

Together We Stand (TWS) is a unique Canadian organization established to honour, show appreciation, and provide recognition for the tremendously important, but often forgotten, families of the Canadian Armed Forces.

What?

Working closely with Members of Parliament from every Federal political party, TWS established a nationally recognized day to honour Canadian military families. The third Friday in September is now known as Military Family Appreciation Day (MFAD) across the country. This year, due to COVID restrictions, TWS is encouraging Canadians to pay tribute to military families online by participating in a digital campaign giving thanks.

Our 2020 Campaign.

Our initiative was simple – have families build a fort at home or at work to honour military families and share a photo of it, using the hashtag #HomeFortChallenge on social media to create awareness.

Participants in the #HomeFortChallenge

donate today.

Donate today to help TWS continue growing Operation Care Package, Operation Military Family Appreciation Day, and other various initiatives aimed at celebrating and supporting our brave military families.