National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign

Left: Hazel Braithwaite, United Way of Greater Victoria Director of Community Campaign; Base Chief, Chief Petty Officer Gino Spinelli; Julie Mills, HealthPartners Accounts Manager; and Captain (Navy) Jason Boyd, Base Commander, display a cheque for $300,000 from the National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign. Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

The MARPAC Health and Wellness Expo was the venue to mark the conclusion of this year’s National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign (NDWCC), which began in October 2017. Through a variety of fundraising initiatives, this year’s campaign raised $300,000 for local charities.

Captain (Navy) Jason Boyd, Base Commander, made a brief speech to the crowd and then made a cheque presentation to Hazel Braithwaite, United Way Greater Victoria Director of Community Campaign, and Julie Mills, HealthPartners. Braithwaite congratulated Capt(N) Boyd and CFB Esquimalt’s military and civilian employees for another solid contribution this year, noting the sizable donation will go a long way to funding programs in the community.

“We are always impressed with the support we get from CFB Esquimalt and are thrilled to have this sizable donation to put back into the community that will help operate so many programs,” said Braithwaite.

Capt(N) Boyd said the charitable campaign also helps to highlight the “tremendous efforts” of military personnel and civilian staff in the community, either through financial support, volunteering, and other acts of goodwill.

“The point I really want to make about this year’s NDWCC campaign is that it really wasn’t about the size of your wallets but the size of your hearts,” said Capt(N) Boyd. “We are very pleased with the results of this year’s campaign and are able to celebrate MARPAC’s involvement in the community; we give back a lot.”