“Being in the Calm”: Meet Program Associate, Cheryl Thompson
Cheryl Thomson has been surrounded by the Military her entire life, something that continues as she now works with the PEI Military Family Resource Centre assisting Military, Veteran, and RCMP families on the Island.
Her father: a WWII Veteran…
Her brother: a retired regular force member…
Her niece: served for a while…
Her son: served for almost a decade…
Suffice to say, Cheryl feels quite familiar with the Military lifestyle, and it is this understanding and appreciation that led her to seek work opportunities with the PEI MFRC.
As Program Associate, Cheryl is involved in a little bit of everything. Most days, she assists other staff as needed, so she gets to work on a variety of things. Because of that, no two days are the same.
“I really feel I have this sense of service—a desire to assist others, so being able to contribute in some way to help PEI’s Military and Veteran community brings me a sense of peace. I see the suffering in the Veteran community especially, and I want to use my first-hand experience to help however I can.”
Changing Concept of “Veteran”
Specifically, it was her experience with her son’s Military career that prompted Cheryl to want to help other Military families. Her son was a young adult when he transitioned out of the Military, adding his name to the thousands of young Veterans changing the image of what a “Veteran” looks like—something that was especially noticeable during and after the Afghanistan conflict. No longer was a “Veteran” an older person—now, Canada was seeing Veterans in their twenties, thirties, and forties.
When her son released, he wasn’t able to find any direct supports to help with the transition, making a challenging time that much more so.
“At the time, it was up to Veterans to help other Veterans because nothing else existed. There were no services and no support…or even recognition of what was even happening with these young Veterans. PTSD was hardly even acknowledged, and these young members were returning with such trauma with no way to express it. Afghanistan certainly changed the concept of ‘Veteran.’”
Her son ended up facilitating a peer support program for Veterans, which inspired Cheryl to want to work more closely with Veterans and Military members. The PEI MFRC proved to be the perfect next step for her.
“Peer support is so important. Some of these people feel so alone, and it’s so important to provide a space where they feel understood and heard. The MFRC has become one of those safe spaces.”
Supporting Veterans Now
Cheryl sees a vast improvement in services for Veterans, especially in the last decade.
“Ten years ago, the supports weren’t there—Veterans were helping each other because nobody else was. Now, we have the MFRC…and now that it’s had time to develop, Veterans have somewhere to go. The supports are growing all the time.”
So what do young Veterans need now?
“Acceptance and understanding. Sometimes you look at a Veteran and they appear healthy...functioning in the world. But they may not be. The community may not realize that these people need the help that they do.”
Being In the Calm
When Cheryl isn’t working to assist Veterans and Military families on PEI, she practices yoga and meditates. She also loves to experiment in the kitchen, and, in keeping with the service part of herself, she especially loves to cook for others.
“Meditation is my go-to when other stuff gets heavy. It calms and centres me to the now and the present—not the past, not the future. Being in the calm helps.”
Being in the calm is a philosophy that has worked well for Cheryl, both in her personal life and in her day-to-day work at the PEI MFRC. She’s glad to be working in an environment that aligns with her values and allows her to fill the desire to be of service to the Military community.
“We’re doing a better job at supporting Veterans now, for sure. There’s still work that needs to happen, of course, but we’re getting there.”
To connect with Cheryl, email [email protected] or phone 902.892.8999.
