A Night Out to Celebrate the Strength of Families

A delicious meal with people you care about, sharing smiles and laughter —just one of the comforts of home that will be at the heart of the 8th annual Invisible Ribbon Gala, an event that celebrates the strength behind every soldier: Family.

Family members may not all have CADPAT in their wardrobe, but each wears a uniform: the invisible uniform.  It’s worn by the loved ones who continue to juggle daily life whenever duty calls.  The Invisible Ribbon Gala, to be held on May 5, is a formal evening that recognizes the importance of the family. 

“This is a major fundraiser for the Military Family Resource Centre, whose goal is to alleviate some of the stress of challenges due to frequent relocations, deployments, and isolation from family,” said Deana Lewis, chair of this year’s Gala organizing committee and a retired military member. 

“When duty calls, it is difficult to leave home,“ remembered Lewis, “often times, members feel significant guilt for being away...for not being there to help through the challenges of the military lifestyle.”

As a military spouse, she credits the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) with helping families deal with adapting to change and enhancing the well-being for the military community. “The centre may not replace the home we carry in our hearts, but it has the capability to provide some of the same comforts for our families.”

You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.  ~Frederick Buechner

A taste of home

Those of us at CFB Trenton call the Quinte region home, and this year’s Invisible Ribbon Gala celebrates the best that the area has to offer; locally produced foods and beverages and talent.  “The Quinte region has a great deal to offer to its residents.  We are planning for the entire evening to showcase what is literally a taste of home — our goal is to source as much as possible within 100 kilometres of the base,” Lewis explained.

The Gala will provide a unique opportunity to share a glimpse of the military lifestyle with some talent from our military community as well as entertainment by comedian Laura Earl with her popular set, I’m an army wife… now what?

“Our community is incredibly intuitive to the increase of demands for the military way of life and are very supportive. However, they may not know to the extent what living the military lifestyle means for their friends, neighbors, and colleagues,” Lewis noted. “The Gala is an opportunity to raise awareness of the role of the military family and the impact the MFRC is capable of extending through programs and services.”

How you can help

Tickets for the Invisible Ribbon Gala are $100 per person, and are available through the MFRC as well as Smylie’s Your Independent Grocer and Riverside Music in Trenton.

There are other ways to get involved in this popular event, too. In addition to a carefully-selected menu and a selection of local musicians, the Gala will feature both live and silent auctions, and showcase unique treasures from overseas. If you would like to get involved, the Gala committee is looking for:

• Auction items, particularly deployment souvenirs
• Event sponsorship
• Volunteers, before and during the event

For more information about how you can get involved, please contact Deana Lewis at 613-392-2811 ext. 4655 or Wendy Synnott at 613-392-2811 ext. 3557. You can also learn more by visiting the Gala website, www.InvisibleRibbon.ca.

As published in the latest edition of Touching Base.