VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 19 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH 2017
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VETERAN’S GALA
JELANI GRANT/TORONTO CARIBBEAN
The Black Veterans Affairs Council held their gala at the Toronto Plaza Hotel, fundraising to build a Black Veteran Memorial Garden in Toronto. The dinner is also committing funds to growing and enhancing the black veteran’s database, expand research, and improve resources for veterans entering transition. BVAC Representative Kerry Ann Thomas hosted the dinner and summit. Thomas led a discussion between veterans Dean Turner and Emille Bryant for the summit, and also hosted the gala. During the summit, veterans
and guests with military connections swapped stories and insight into their own experiences. Before the two vets addressed the audience, guests were finding connections either by discussing serving or what it was like having loved ones who served. A guest, who asked not to be named, spoke about her connection to the tragic murder-suicide committed by Lionel Desmond in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S saying that her cousins and aunts are still struggling to cope with their loss. A challenge often found among veterans transitioning is coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A 2015 study by Employment
and Social Development Canada, estimates 2,250 former soldiers use shelters on a regular basis, mental health issues being a common reason cited by veterans. Recognizable names at the Gala were Church of God Sabbath Keeping Scarborough Praise and Worship Leader Abigail Edwards, L.E.A.P Branding Founder Dewitt Lee, and opening prayer by Grant AME Pastor Canute Davis and entertainment by the Grant AME Church Band. Continued On Page 7
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