True Patriot Love: How one Canadian foundation gives back to the military community

Eleanor Taylor of the True Patriot Love Foundation shares how people can support veterans every day of the year.

A Canadian organization is supporting veterans, serving military members and their families, not just on Nov. 11, but every day of the year.

The True Patriot Love Foundation has been raising money since 2009 to fund community-based programs across the country.

Eleanor Taylor, the foundation’s head of community engagement and advocacy, served for 27 years as an infantry officer.

She says it can be hard for people to understand the impacts of service.

“If you think about it from the perspective of the serving member, you can be exposed to a lot of different things through the course of an entire career, or even a short career, that could require physical rehabilitation, it could require support for mental health support,” she says.

Taylor says military members also need transition support as they move to civilian life.

“You have no family doctor, you have no sense of the employment landscape, you have no network, and so there are programs out there that can support all of these things,” she says.

Some compare the change in life to moving to a new country.

“To some extent you don’t necessarily know the language, and you don’t have the network to help you thrive, and that’s why a little bit of help from the great programs that are out there to support that transition is important,” Taylor says.

She adds when a person puts on a uniform, their whole family serves.

“There are impacts to the spouses of military members as they move across the country time and time again,” Taylor says.

“[They] don’t get the opportunity to invest in their own careers because of all of that movement, and they have all of the challenges of supporting a family who’s moving and dealing in some cases with all of the challenges associated with people deploying, being injured, and sometimes losing their lives.”

The True Patriot Love Foundation has funded more than 1,100 community-based partners across Canada and served over 4,400 beneficiaries.

Taylor says some of the partners in Nova Scotia include the Veteran Farm Project Society in Sweet’s Corner, the Veterans Transition Network and the Halifax & Region Military Family Resource Centre.

“There’s a lot of wonderful organizations serving here in Nova Scotia… so by funding True Patriot Love we then support the need where the need is greatest.”

The foundation will be among those laying a wreath at Grand Parade during Halifax’s Remembrance Day ceremony on Tuesday.

Taylor will also lay a wreath on behalf of the Women Veterans Council.

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