Operation Veteran welcomes 200 students to Ottawa and to the Canadian War Museum for Remembrance Day

Ottawa, Ontario, November 9, 2015 — Representing 32 schools all across Canada, 200 students who have raised money for the Canadian War Museum’s Operation Veteran program are coming to Ottawa for a special Remembrance Day visit. On the morning of November 11, the students will meet Operation Veteran founder Dr. Paul Kavanagh at the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel, visit the War Memorial to pay their respects and then tour the War Museum and meet with veterans.

Since 2009, when Dr. Kavanagh established the program in association with the Canadian War Museum, Operation Veteran has raised more than $290,000. The funds allow the Museum to offer complimentary meals to all Canadian veterans visiting the Museum, while increasing young peoples’ awareness of our country’s military history and strengthening their appreciation for veterans. To date, the Museum has provided more than 8,000 vouchers and has engaged thousands of students in every province and territory.

“The enduring popularity of Operation Veteran is a testament both to the respect that Canadians of all ages continue to hold for those who have served their country, and to Dr. Kavanagh’s remarkable dedication to this very worthwhile cause,” says Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of History. “We are proud of the role we play in building bridges between generations through positive programs that actively engage students and honour veterans.”

“Operation Veteran is an important program that contributes to today’s students’ understanding of our veterans’ sacrifices,” said Paul Kavanagh. “I am so pleased to continue to support this program and see it grow year after year.”

In addition to bringing students to Ottawa and to the War Museum, Operation Veteran continues to support Supply Line, an initiative that lends First World War Discovery Boxes to schools across Canada, free of charge. These learning kits, developed by the Museum, contain authentic and reproduction artifacts related to Canadian military history, along with other resources teachers can use to lead engaging hands-on activities and lessons. Being able to examine and handle objects from the First World War, such as a soldier’s helmet, a gas mask, shrapnel bullets or a nursing sister’s apron, gives young people a tangible way to understand a long-ago war and to connect with the past on a very personal level.

Hundreds of teachers have taken the opportunity to borrow Supply Line Discovery Boxes since they were first made available in 2014. The kits are now fully booked for the 2015-16 school year.

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

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