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Valley East Community Action Network
Provides Opportunity For Public To Participate In Many Worthwhile
Projects |
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The Valley East Community Action Network had a very attractive display set
up during the Valley East Lions Charity Days on September 9, 2006. From the
left we have: Mike Lauzon, Valley East Trail Sub-Committee; Marc Tasse,
Chair of the VECAN; Shirley Baxter, Secretary; Nellie Lanteigne, Member; and
Claudette Lahti-Ouwens, Member. More information can be found about the
VECAN by visiting their web space at http://communities.mysudbury.ca/Sites/vecan
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The Fox Family Is
Making A Difference For Our Troops In Afghanistan |
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Sandra Amyot and her son, Kyle, 23, are shown in front of
the special bulletin board which has been created by the Valley East
Community Action Network to pay tribute to the members of the Canadian
Armed Forces who are serving in Afghanistan. Kyle and his bother, Glenn,
28, are both members of the armed forces and both have seen action in this
war-torn segment of the globe. |
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Sandra and Claudette Lauhti-Ouwen of VECAN are shown selling "Support Our Troops"
merchandise to help raise money to support families with
loved ones serving in Afghanistan. With the help of VECAN and the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre, Sandra was able to raise a significant amount of
money for this worthy cause.
The bulletin board will remain up during January 2007 as a constant
reminder to local citizens of the sacrifice that is being made by the
brave recruits of the armed forces. |
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Straight
From the Heart
by VECAN (
Valley East
Community Action Network)
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The second in a series of Support the Troops endeavours by the
Valley East Community Action Network is “Straight from the Heart”
which features the Berthelot family whose son, Sergeant Raymond Berthelot,
will soon be returning from a mission in the vicinity of Kandahar, to
visit with his children, Matthieu and Cassandra.
Matthieu, 11, is shown with Alana Evershed of MCTV
being interviewed for a special segment on the evening news. The poster
behind Matthieu is one that he designed himself for the display.
The son of Gaston and Pauline was a Val Caron boy who attended
Notre Dame du Rosaire, 9 and 10 at Sacré Coeur, and graduated from l’Héritage.
The 36-year-old’s love of the military began in 1983 with four
years of Army Cadets in Capreol, after which he moved on to the Militia in
Sudbury
. In October of ’88, Raymond
joined the Armed Forces, doing his basic training in
St. Jean
, Que., before being posted with Vindoux (the 22nd regiment)
for infantry training in early ’89 and spending the next four years in
Lahr
,
Germany
. Injuries to his back in
Bosnia
shortened that ’92 tour of duty, after which he was posted in Gagetown,
N.B. In ’99, he returned to
Bosnia
for 6 ½ months as a peacekeeper. In
2001, after becoming Master Corporal, Raymond spent 6 ½ months in
Africa’s Eurethea and
Ethiopia
on a peacekeeping mission. In
2005, he became Sergeant Raymond Berthelot and was stationed in
Kabul
.
Raymond has had a variety of experiences with the Canadian Armed
Forces. For several weeks
during the January ice storms south of Montreal in ’98, he brought in
food, helped to restore services, was involved in cutting trees and
removing debris, and worked to save livestock by removing them from
dangerous situations or delivering food to them in isolated areas.
The recovery of forensics and debris from Swiss Air’s Flight 111
plane crash, seven nautical miles off the coast of
Nova Scotia
, not far from Peggy’s Cove, provided both experience and challenge.
In an interview, Gaston and Pauline shared, “You never get used
to the fact that your son or daughter is stationed in a dangerous
situation. Each parent deals
with the situation in their own way; some need to hear every word about
the armed forces on television and radio; others avoid any information but
what pertains to their family.”
How can we support the family?
The family needs to know that members of their community support
them in what they are doing. Relatives
need to keep in communication with others who are in the same situation,
as in a support group. Soldiers
returning to their community need to feel that their community supports
them.
Straight from the Heart has been organized, not only to showcase
the Berthelot Family, but to introduce to the communities of
Valley East
and Capreol a newly-formed Military Family Support group.
“We get together to connect with other families who share the
same concerns and worries as we do,” said Volunteer Co-ordinator, Denise
Lecuyer, “ but, most of all, we provide moral support in very difficult
times.”
The Military
Family Support group will be distributing the Invisible Ribbon, part of a
federal project that was launched in November, and which represents an
invisible uniform that we wear to support our troops. Denise welcomes
calls to 983-0708 for any military family member who requires resources or
further information about the next meeting to take place on Feb. 22nd.
On Saturday, February 10,
2007, VECAN once again sponsored a special day at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre where the public was able to talk to some of the family
members. In the above photo, Gaston, on the left is shown with Denise
Lecuyer, Volunteer Co-ordinator, on the far right, explaining some of the
information that is on the display board. Denise also has a
daughter in the Canadian navy. In the middle of the photo is Warrant
Officer Yvon Godin, a veteran soldier who retired in 2004 after more than
35 years of service in the Canadian military. According to Lecuyer, there
are a total of 17 area families with sons or daughters serving in the
military.
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Sandy Amyot, mother of Glenn and Kyle Fox, was
also on hand to sell merchandise to raise money in the Support Our Troops
campaign. Sandy is shown in both
photos at her familiar spot selling another item of clothing to a
supporter.
If you are aware of other
local families whose relatives have been deployed, please share that
information by e-mailing vecan@mysudbury.ca. |
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Community Shows Strong Support For
The Canadian Armed Forces Fighting In Afghanistan |
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Sandra Amyot
and Wayne Fox were extremely pleased with the way the community demonstrated
support for members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have been drawn into
the war in Afghanistan. Sandra and Wayne took part in a special "Support The
Troops" weekend at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on December 9 and 10,
2006. Their two sons, Kyle and Glenn Fox, have both served in Afghanistan.
The boys' grandmother, Bridget Amyot, on the left in the photo, also
took part in the event. |
For the complete story and more photos
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Supporting
Our Troops by
VECAN (
Valley East
Community Action Network) |
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The war in
Afghanistan
may seem a long distance away, but not for Canadians who wait for news of
their friends or relatives who fight this faceless war.
Wayne and Sandy, the parents of Kyle and Glenn Fox, understand how
difficult it is to wait. Graduates
of
Confederation
Secondary School
, both brothers joined the Canadian Military as Peacekeepers. The younger
Kyle who joined in 2001 and Glenn, later in 2004, shared a two month tour.
Both gunners, Glenn is doing more extensive training in
Edmonton
, while Kyle is presently stationed in Petawawa, awaiting surgery that,
hopefully, will repair the hearing lost during a rocket launch attack.
Not all of their news reaches home.
Daily missions are unpredictable and many of the men who began active
duty with Kyle have been lost in action.
Kyle speaks of Mark Anthony Graham as “the best friend I ever had
or ever will have”.
Although serving in
Afghanistan
is very dangerous for our soldiers,
Sandy
understands that, without it, terrorism would reach as far as our own homes
here in the Valley; no one would be safe.
So, while she waits anxiously for news,
Sandy
has been promoting what she can to support not only her sons, but the rest
of Canadian Troops.
For like-minded Canadians, the
Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency website, www.cfpsa.com,
has several recommendations:
| The
proceeds from the sale of Support Our Troops merchandise (ball caps,
t-shirts, car and fridge magnets, cling vinyl window decals, bracelets,
lapel pins, and more) are
reinvested directly into morale and welfare programs for CF members and
their families. They would
make good Christmas gifts at this time of year.
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| Messages
of appreciation can be posted on the online message board at www.forces.gc.ca/site/community?messageboard/index_e.asp.
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an ad in Canadian Forces Newspapers that reach 15 military bases in
seven provinces.
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| Wear
something red on Fridays.
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The Valley East Community Action Network invites you to wear red on
Saturday, December 9th when you visit the Support Our Troops
display across from the Royal Bank in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre,
from 10 till 3. Sandy and Wayne
are hoping that Kyle will be able to join them there from 11 until 2.
If you are aware of other local families whose relatives have been
deployed, please share that information by e-mailing vecan@mysudbury.ca, or by telephoning Claudette @ 897-2113.
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