• Awarded on: February 23, 2012

BARBARA JOAN MCMURRAY
West Hill, Ontario
A long-standing volunteer, Joan McMurray is best known as the founder of the Chosen Soldier Project, which gave thousands of people the opportunity to raise the morale of troops deployed overseas, by sending them letters and care packages. Ms. McMurray matched families from across Canada with more than 5 400 Canadian Forces personnel serving in Afghanistan. Parcels were filled with treats that were missed, such as candies, chocolates, soups and lip balm, items described as 'like gold' to soldiers. Through her dedication and recognition of our troops' efforts, Ms. McMurray has become an inspiration to many.