"Thank you for protecting our country."
"Dear soldier, my name is Kevin, I am 5, you are my hero."Those were just two of the thousands of messages sent from citizens to Canadian soldiers oversees in Afghanistan as part of the Share a Cup with a Brave Canuck! program organized by Emergency Medical Services personnel across the nation. The program, launched Oct. 28 by Toronto EMS Chief Bruce Farr, encouraged regular Canadians to buy a $10 Tim Hortons gift card, insert a personal message and send it to the challenge so at least one card could be given to every soldier serving in Afghanistan. The gift cards - more than 5,000 of them - were presented to Canadian Forces Chief of Staff Col. Stephen Cadden, land force central area/joint task force central, during a special ceremony at EMS headquarters at Finch Avenue and Dufferin Street Thursday, Dec. 17."I'm here to accept these gifts," Cadden said. "In typical Canadian fashion I'll thank you for thanking us. The fact ordinary Canadians have taken the time to give money to support the troops is one thing, but almost all of them took the time to inscribe a note."Cadden noted 3,400 Canadian soldiers are overseas and 2,900 of them will be spending Christmas in Afghanistan. "I'm here representing them because they can't say thank you," he said. Last year EMS employees purchased 1,800 cards for troops in Afghanistan - the program was only open to personnel - and Farr said this year's goal was to collect one card for each Canadian soldier oversees."I am overwhelmed by the efforts put forth by everyone involved in the program," he said. Along with EMS workers from across the province and Canadian Forces soldiers, students from Beverley Heights Middle School and Weston Memorial Junior Public School also attended the presentation, representing Canadian schools that took part in the program.Tracy Martel, a teacher at Beverley Heights, said she heard of the Share a Cup with a Brave Canuck! program on the radio and immediately challenged her students to raise money for the cause. Each dollar they raised was matched by Martel, allowing for the purchase of 22 $10 gift cards."It put a minor dent in my bank account but it was well worth it," she said. Principal Judy Ignatowitz said she was proud the students took on a cause of giving back and it was the perfect way to cap off her employment in the education system; she is retiring at the end of the month after 34 years in the education field. Beverley Heights Middle School student Bachtir Seitova thought the program was a great way to support Canadian troops. "They are trying to make peace," he said. "It's really hard being away from your family."