Women leaders in the Canadian military showcased in new podcast in honour of Captain Nichola Goddard
TORONTO, May 26, 2020 /CNW/ - A new podcast series launched today by True Patriot Love Foundation pays tribute to women in the Canadian military and shines a light on some of the inspirational female leaders who have committed their lives to its ranks. The series, entitled For Her Country, dives into the unique experiences of these leaders from base training to deployments and explores the themes of courage, authenticity, resiliency, gender diversity and more.
The series is in honour of Captain Nichola Goddard, a trailblazer and role model who was an Artillery Officer before becoming the first Canadian woman soldier to die in a combat role in 2006 at only 26 years old. Last week saw the anniversary of Nichola's death where she would have turned 40 years old.
The podcast aims to inspire and engage Canadians through stories and experiences of strong female leaders who model Captain Goddard's exceptional qualities, and to generate awareness for True Patriot Love Foundation's Captain Nichola Goddard Fund. True Patriot Love is a leading national charity dedicated to providing essential support and resources to the military and Veteran community. The foundation's Captain Nichola Goddard Fund provides national funding to directly benefit community program that support servicewomen, Veteran women and their families to help address the unique challenges related to military life.
"For decades, women have played an essential role in Canada's military and there are many outstanding leaders like Captain Nichola Goddard whose experiences and stories are rarely told," said Nick Booth, CEO of True Patriot Love Foundation. "For Her Country was created as a platform to showcase these leading women and to learn from their unique journeys within the Canadian Armed Forces. What results is a compelling series with important lessons that can benefit us all."
The series includes five episodes, each featuring an interview with one serving member or Veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces. Episodes will air each Tuesday until June 16, and plans are underway to deliver five additional episodes starting in late June.
Podcast guests include:
- Major Jaime Phillips, the first female Artillery Troop Commander in Kandahar
- Lieutenant Colonel Eleanor Taylor, the first female to lead an infantry company in a combat zone
- Warrant Officer Avril Jno-Baptiste-Jones, who recently deployed to Kuwait and was awarded the Joint Task Force Impact Commander's Commendation for her support of the mission operational effectiveness
- Sergeant Leslie Blair, the most recent laureate of the Captain Nichola Goddard Award which honours a young Canadian innovator who has made a significant contribution to Canadian security and defence
- Sergeant GerriAnne Davidson, who received the CJOC Commanders accommodation for her work in Jordan training female recruits
For Her Country is sponsored by RBC and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify, or on True Patriot Love's YouTube channel. For more information, including the podcast preview, visit www.truepatriotlove.com/for-her-country.
About True Patriot Love Foundation
Founded in 2009, True Patriot Love Foundation has become Canada's leading organization supporting the military community. The foundation raises awareness around the challenges related to military service and funds programs for serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans and their families that support their well-being, enable rehabilitation and recovery from injury, assist the children and spouses of those who serve, and promote re-integration into communities following service. Since inception, True Patriot Love has committed over $28 million in funding to 825 community-based programs across the country, which has helped change the lives of more than 30,000 military members, Veterans and families. For more information, visit www.truepatriotlove.com.
About the Captain Nichola Goddard Fund
The True Patriot Love Captain Nichola Goddard Fund provides national funding to directly benefit community program that support servicewomen, Veteran women, and their families to help address the unique challenges related to military life. The fund was named after Captain Nichola Goddard, who was an inspiring young artillery officer before becoming the first Canadian woman soldier to die in a combat role. Captain Goddard served in Afghanistan, and is remembered for her leadership, strength and courage. True Patriot Love has been honoured to manage the fund on behalf of the Goddard family since 2018.
In the inaugural year managing the fund in 2018, the True Patriot Love Captain Nichola Goddard Fund supported seven programs with more than $210K in disbursements. Funds were allocated to programs for Veteran women in crisis, for peer support/group therapy, and to support women who have developed PTSD as a result of military service.
SOURCE True Patriot Love Foundation
Media inquiries: Ya Shan Waley, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, True Patriot Love Foundation, 416-206-2481, [email protected]
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