Poppies are placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial following the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2015.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The donor: Valerie Noftle
The gift: Creating the From Hand to Hand calendar
The reason: To support programs that help homeless veterans
During her career as a federal civil servant, Valerie Noftle did a stint in the Department of National Defence and she never forgot the soldiers she worked with.
"I was very impressed with [Armed] Forces people," Ms. Noftle recalled from her home in Ottawa. "They were an extremely dedicated and professional group."
Ms. Noftle left the public service a year ago to pursue a graduate law degree, but she found time to create a calendar to raise money for an Armed Forces charity called Support Our Troops. She used her skills in photography to shoot 13 veterans, ranging in age from late-30s to late-90s, each holding a maple leaf. Ms. Noftle is selling the calendars on her own and through the Diefenbunker Museum in Carp, Ont., outside Ottawa. The calendars cost $20 apiece and she hopes to raise $5,000 for programs to help homeless veterans.
"When we think of Forces members we think of them overseas," she said, adding that we often overlook the importance of family support. "It's a family affair to ensure that Forces members are able to fulfill their mandate."
Paul Waldie