Behind-the-scenes Support: Profile of Executive Director Tracy Cromwell

When Tracy Cromwell started as Executive Director at Mainland BC MFRC, she had no direct link to the military. Unlike other staff  who grew up in military families, Tracy didn’t immediately think she had a military connection. However, after doing some digging, Tracy soon realized that multiple family members served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

"The military touches more people than we realize," says Tracy. "And that’s why one of our primary goals—supporting military families—involves letting those around them, in the civilian community, know that these military families are there, too.

Once people identify a person in their own life with the military, they are more likely to feel a connection to the military in general. As Tracy emphasizes, these connections increase people’s awareness of, and appreciation for, military families. Because of that, Mainland BC MFRC works every day to facilitate these connections.

"MFRCs play a really important role in making those connections between the military community and the civilian community,” Tracy states. “Community engagement is huge. We have to be out in the civilian community because that’s a support to military families.”

“You Have to Have Passion”

Working in a number of non-profits and being around different groups of volunteers, Tracy has learned that you have to have passion in order to be effective in these helping industries.

“It’s all about relationship building in the non-profit sector,” explains Tracy, “You build a case for support, you have to have passion about that case, you have to steward and treat well those people who support you, and you have to continue to build those relationships. Build the relationships by showing what their support is helping you to accomplish, and then you keep doing good things so that their support does, in fact, accomplish good things.”

Where the Needs are

Tracy admits she isn’t sure whether the needs of military families are changing or if they’re becoming more evident. It can be difficult to tell, and sometimes it can take a while to shift pre-conceived notions of who these people are and how MFRCs can best serve them.

“It’s critical to know our audience,” Tracy explains. “We need to know our people and be willing to, as much as possible, work on a 1:1 basis, avoiding blanket solutions.”

As Executive Director, Tracy oversees the staff who are connecting with military families within Mainland BC. In fact, she’s mostly in the background. 

“My job is to take care of the governance of the organization–working with the Board—and also to bring in good people who have the ability to work with the families and understand them more closely than I can possibly do.”

Put another way, Tracy creates the framework that allows and supports the staff to tangibly carry that framework out, connecting with families. 

Aside from enabling her staff to meet individually with families, Tracy also notes that one of the MFRC’s greatest successes come when they’re able to connect military families with other military families—something that can be a challenge, given the breadth of area that Mainland BC covers. 

“That’s where their longterm support is going to come from—these are their networks. Those friendships and connections will give these families strength.”

Mainland BC Military Families

One of the challenges Mainland BC MFRC faces pertains to the large geographical area is serves. Its military families are spread out, so it’s quite a different dynamic than families living on or near a base.

“If I had an ideal goal, it would be awareness,” states Tracy. “People don’t always need our help but we need to know that they know what we do, so if and when the day arises that they do need us, they know we’re here.”

To achieve this, the Mainland BC MFRC staff prioritizes going out into the community. During one of these multi-day visits, they may attend unit briefings, host meet-and-greets for new military families, and meet with like organizations within the communities to increase awareness of and for military families.

Their communications plan has even undergone a shift to reflect the importance of relationship building. Rather than simply pushing out information, Mainland BC MFRC wants to develop relationships. 

When asked what the greatest challenges are, Tracy speaks to two things: visibility and perception. 

“Military families don’t all know we’re here," she says. "Trying to reach them, when they aren’t all closely connected, is a challenge. Speaking to both our Reg Force community and our Reservist community is a challenge—often Reservist families don’t claim the identity of military family. There’s also this false perception that most military families lack something. This isn’t true. We’re here to help, but these families aren't incomplete. Many are, in fact, thriving!” 

Cheering Others On

When Tracy isn’t facilitating connections between military families and among various organizations and stakeholders, she loves to cheer for a different group of people: Olympic athletes. 

“I am not an athlete, but I can watch any sport you can imagine,” she asserts.

Tracy is such a fan that she’s visited many Olympics in person. “There’s such a positive atmosphere. Athletes support other athletes, no matter where they’re from. And, despite what you might think, the Olympics are accessible. Anyone can go. And some tickets aren’t that expensive.”

While her favourite spots to watch are short-track speed skating in winter and volleyball in summer, she has learned to be open to whatever opportunity comes her way. While attending the London Olympics, for example, she purchased a ticket package a little later than she’d intended and ended up with tickets to shooting and handball—events she may not have otherwise attended, but events that she still thoroughly enjoyed. 

In this way, Tracy doesn’t veer too far from her day job—doing her part to support a community and being open to new learnings and experiences when they arise. 

“When I hear the stories on how we’ve connected people, that’s amazing to me. I like doing the stuff behind the scenes that makes those connections possible. My work that I do is still meaningful because it allows those connections to happen."

To connect with Tracy, you can email [email protected] or phone (604) 240-3140.