Are you wearing red today?
Lisa and Karen also known as the Red Friday Ladies met in October of 2005 and quickly their friendship grew to the best of friends. It was meant to be since shortly after this meeting they started the Red Friday campaign that they are now known so well for. Though I have never personally met them I know that they are wonderful ladies who have a true passion for supporting the troops and will do whatever they can to help spread the word.
Lisa grew up in Wellington County in Ontario and is the spouse of a soldier with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery 2nd Regiment. Karen’s partner is a civilian however Karen grew up in Petawawa and has many connections to the military.
Three years in a row they were nominated for the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce – Citizen of the Year Award. They finally won this well deserved award in January 2009.
This award is presented to an individual who has had a special impact on the Upper Ottawa Valley through volunteerism, advocacy, community building, or business leadership. The recipient will have shown a continuing active interest in the welfare of the Upper Ottawa Valley in any or all of the following areas:
- Beautification of the area.
- Improvement of the recreational opportunities.
- Preservation of nature areas and wildlife, historical structures and archival materials.
- Respect of cultural and socio-economic status of the citizens of the region.
- Advocate or community booster, fundraiser, volunteer.
- Pro-active when addressing environmental issues.
- Advocacy in areas of social justice, equality, human rights, etc.
Next week will be part 3 of the series. Come back then to read all about what the Red Friday Ladies have done so far in spreading their message and supporting the troops.