Cobourg resident, Lorna Dickson will be a special guest of of SerViCe at an upcoming event in Ottawa.
Kerri Tadeu along with retired MCpl. Collin Fitzgerald and Cpl. Nick Kerr started SerViCe which the capitals stand for Solider, Veteran and Civilian.
The event is called “To The Stan and Back” (Stan is short for Afghanistan) “Party Under the Stars” Event on Monday May 6 at Ottawa City Hall from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm. This 10th Annual Ottawa fundraiser supports Post-Combat Wellness Programs including Service Dogs for Service men and women affected with Operational Stress Injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. To the Stan and Back is responsible for donating over $117,000.00 to Post Combat Wellness Programs in addition to distributing over $200,000.00 in discounted gift certificates. The event aims to bring Ottawa’s Military, business and political community together to help support a worthwhile cause. Deputy Mayor Matt Lullof will bring greetings and the featured entertainer is Alan Frew of Glass Tiger and Mercedes Stephenson as co-emcee.
Affectionately known as the “Highway of Heroes Earth Angel”, Dickson met Kerri Tadeu during the Spring Clean of the Highway of Heroes which was also Earth Day on April 22 2018. Dickson was cleaning an area near a relatives property in Wesleyville, and Tadeu, Master Corporal (retired) Collin Fitzgerald and Highway of Heroes Volunteers were in the process of cleaning the on and off-ramps of the Highway of Heroes when they met Dickson.
Dickson would later say it was “fate” about the two meeting along the Highway of Heroes. Dickson learned that the volunteers who clean the Highway of Heroes collect the empty alcohol containers and return them to The Beer Store and donate the money to MADD Canada to bring awareness that countless individuals actively drink and drive on North America’s busiest highway. So far, $850 has been donated to MADD since two Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Veterans Corporal Nick Kerr, Master Corporal (retired) Fitzgerald and Kerri Tadeu adopted the Highway of Heroes two years ago.
Dickson, inspired by the trio’s adoption collected empty alcohol bottles and cans for six months, held two 50/50 draws at work and received support from her United Steel Workers Union Of America Local 889 to collect $750 for the “Highway of Heroes Adoption Four One Hundred & Fifty-Eight in honour of Major Michelle Knight Mendes” whereby volunteers pick up garbage on the on and off ramps of the Highway of Heroes from Trenton to Keele Street in Toronto (172 km East and 172 km West) twice a year- weeks leading up to National Day of Honour and weeks leading up to Remembrance Day.
Since Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Veteran Warrant Officer (retired) Bruce Frampton’s initiative to have CannaConnect sponsor the Highway of Heroes Adoption by paying for the gas for volunteers who travel as far away as Montreal, Cornwall, Ottawa, Kingston, Newmarket, Guelph and Plattsville to clean the Highway of Heroes during the Spring and Fall Cleans, the $750 Dickson collected was donated to Project Trauma Support which is an inpatient treatment program for Military and First Responders that To The Stan and Back Supports.
This year Dickson collected $500 for the Highway of Heroes Adoption. The word about Dickson’s donation spread fast among the Veteran Community and a number of people and organizations stepped forward to match Dickson’s $500.00 donation for the Party Under the Stars Event .
For the 2019 Party Under The Stars Event in memory of Major Michelle Knight Mendes on the 10th anniversary of her death, $16,000 was received by the following individuals and organizations:
CPK in Port Hope
Shelley Bertram Fallis representing The Royal Canadian Legion Brach 77 in Lakefield
Merrill Gooderham representing The Royal Canadian Legion Brach 560 in Kingston
The Royal Canadian Legion Brach 580 in Grafton
Corporal Kerr, Master Corporal (retired) Fitzgerald and Tadeu worked with Wade Macvicar to create a mini documentary about the Highway of Heroes Adoption and Dickson is in this short film to be premiered on May 6 at the Party Under The Stars Event highlighting how ordinary Canadians are extraordinary in their support of our Military, Veterans and First Responders.
Tadeu stated “The Party Under The Stars Event is a gathering where we stand together to stand a chance to help our ill and injured service men and women recover from their operational stress injuries. Major Michelle Knight Mendes is always on my mind when we gather to Remember and Honour All that Gave Some and Some that Gave All and I will continue to make it a personal mission to affect change in the lives of service men and women in her memory.”
If you wish to support, match Lorna Dickson’s donation and/or attend the Party Under The Stars Event contact Kerri Tadeu at 613-539-1312 or svc@cogeco.ca.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
