Trenton MFRC to host Invisible Ribbon Gala

The Trenton Military Family Resource Centre will be hosting the 14th annual Invisible Ribbon Gala. Photo by Devon Taylor.

By Julia Lennips

TRENTON – The Military Family Resource Centre in Canadian Forces Base Trenton is hosting a fundraising event to provide services to military families to assist them in preparing for the unexpected.

Devon Taylor, communications and development coordinator of the Military Family Resource Centre, says, “the purpose of the Invisible Ribbon Gala is…to provide programs and services that meet the needs of our military families in our community.”

“Military families can often have the best laid plans and very frequently they can be derailed by the needs of the military itself. That always puts a strain on military families and we want to be able to support military families in those times of need that can arrive unexpectedly,” she added.

The event will be held on Saturday May 12th. Taylor says this is the 14th year that the MFRC has done this.

“We have to use fundraised dollars to provide the programs and services at the level that we do.”

She says the MFRC has different specific needs or projects that they fundraise for every year.

“Our gala is our main fundraiser sometimes we have third party organizations and businesses that try to fund raise a little bit for us,” says Taylor.

Taylor says it is an important event because it raises awareness of military families.

“The military, like I mentioned before, is a big part of our community and we hear about the numbers that are being deployed on missions around the world. We hear about all of the high level government stuff that pertains to the military, but we often forget about the military families themselves. Members of the military while they’re being deployed, military families often have a very large role in helping prepare that member for their deployment and their task at hand.  It raises the awareness of military families and allows the civilian and general public to get a glimpse of what military families are like. They get to see the unique challenges that military families face on a day to day basis.”

Taylor says the event is open to the public. “Our guests and our supporters are often members of the community, businesses and individuals that are looking to show their support to military families. They understand that CFB Trenton 8 Wing and their families play a very large role within our community in Trenton, Belleville and the greater region surrounding the base.”

She says members of the community like to show their support  through the gala whether that be by attending the gala, sponsoring the event or donating an auction item. “We’ve been running an online auction that the entire public is welcome to participate in, so if people want to show their support for military families or the MFRC but are unable to attend the event, sponsor or donate something they can still participate and show their support,” she added.