Oakville, Ontario
Mrs. Courtney is the co owner of MEDIchair Halton. She wanted to do something tangible for Veterans, so in 2002, she organized a small, Veterans appreciation luncheon in her Oakville store. That first year, eight Veterans attended the luncheon. The luncheon continued to grow and in 2010, close to 1,000 people attended this free luncheon to honour Canada’s Veterans, which is now held at the Oakville Conference Centre. Among the attendees in 2010, there were 400 Veterans, 300 guests and caregivers, 160 volunteers, local politicians, celebrities including hockey legend Paul Henderson, police and military personnel. Additionally, Mrs. Courtney organized a special tribute in 2010 to honour a young fallen Afghanistan Veteran, Trooper Jack Bouthillier from Hearst, Ontario. Trooper Bouthillier’s parents were in attendance at this special tribute and were extremely moved by the gesture. These luncheons now take Mrs. Courtney a year to organize and they include opening ceremonies, a colour party, speeches from dignitaries, wreath layings, special recognition of military and police personnel, audio/video presentations and a blessing from Paul Henderson. Each year, Mrs. Courtney rallies support and volunteers from her community to get involved in this special event.