Lockheed Martin Canada’s largest philanthropic contribution to date will support the mental health of children and youth from military families across Canada This generous donation of $300,000 will assist children and youth from military families with the unique realities of military life. Military families have a higher proportion of young parents and children than the general Canadian population. When a parent is preparing for, or is away on a deployment, children and youth may take on more responsibility at home, such as helping with siblings and taking on additional household tasks. Deployment of a parent can alter relationships with the departing parents, impact academic performance, and even result in behavioral, emotional, and disciplinary problems among military children and youth. While an extensive array of support for military families currently exists, the care and stewardship of military families cannot be done alone. Lockheed Martin Canada, an established leader in global security and aerospace, is proud to work with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) and Support Our Troops to provide more access to tailored and timely mental health resources for children and youth of military families. Lockheed Martin has pledged their support through local Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs), the Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone, and to the Support Our Troops National Summer Camps Program. Through their incredible donation of $300,000 Lockheed Martin has been able to help fund the delivery of a customized crisis texting service for the 78,000 children and youth of Canadian Armed Forces members. The Crisis Text Line, powered by Kids Help Phone, is a dedicated texting service that works to ensure all children from military families have free access to mental health and wellbeing support in both English and French. Lockheed Martin is also generously working to support local Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) to support military families in five military communities (Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Esquimalt) to develop and deliver unique programs and services to help mitigate some of the mental health challenges confronted by children and youth from military families. Lockheed Martin has also provided an additional $25,000 in support to the Support Our Troops National Summer Camps Program, a popular program offered to dependents of serving military families. Thanks to the generous contributions from donors across Canada, including Lockheed Martin, Support Our Troops sends nearly 500 kids to camp each summer. “We’re incredibly proud of this partnership with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services and Support Our Troops,” says Lorraine Ben, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin Canada. “Supporting the military community is a large part of what Lockheed Martin does. The past few years have underlined the importance of access to local mental health programs and resources for families who may concurrently face relocation, operational separations, and the risk of the profession of arms in addition to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe the important work done by Support Our Troops is improving the lives of members and families of the Canadian Armed Forces.” Thank you Lockheed Martin for standing with us and our military members and their families.