What is the Together We Stand Foundation (TWSF)?
Together We Stand is a nationally registered Canadian charity created to honour the sacrifices made by deployed military personnel and their families each day, and to show that they are appreciated.
Who is eligible for a gift?
Families of members deployed in operational theatres outside of North America, separated from their family and not on training from 1 December 2019 to 30 January 2020.
How do I register?
An online gift form will be posted on the Support Our Troops website as of September 16, 2019 for deployed members to complete if they want to receive the gift package. The gift registration period runs from September 16 to November 8, 2019.
The Canadian Forces Task Plan and Operations (CFTPO) Task Authority will need to be attached when completing the form to provide proof of deployment and member verification.
Who are the donors?
For the past two years, Rick and Lillian Ekstein, the founders of the Together We Stand Foundation, have generously donated a gift to families of members who are deployed overseas.
Their efforts began in 2017, when they donated 1,500 Visa Cards worth $50 each to military families with a loved one deployed abroad in active theatre and not on training.
In 2018, 2,550 Family Gift Boxes containing gift cards and coupons from a variety of corporate and private donors were distributed. The total value of the donation was over $1 Million.
This year, Mr. and Mrs. Ekstein are once again showing their appreciation to the families of deployed members by providing special Family Gift Boxes containing cards and coupons from a variety of retail businesses. Their goal is to deliver 3,000 Family Gift Boxes to military families with a loved one deployed abroad in active theatre and not on training.
The TWSF team is finalizing the value and types of discounts to be included. To date the gift boxes have an approximate value of $300 and include gift cards and coupons from Adidas, Brass & Unity, Fabricland, Reebok, Yogen Fruz, and a prepaid Visa card.
Support Our Troops
The Support Our Troops team is working closely with the Together We Stand Foundation to organize this year’s initiative.
Support Our Troops is the official charitable cause of the Canadian Armed Forces and a qualified donee of Her Majesty in the right of Canada. Support Our Troops operates within Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services and the Non-Public Property accountability framework on behalf of the Non-Public Property Board, chaired by General J. Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff.
Recognized by its trademarked Yellow Ribbon, Support Our Troops provides financial support and assistance through various grants and programs. It is the most direct way for Canadians to support the recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration of members with a physical and/or mental illness or injury and to contribute to empowering family resiliency.