Seeing the Joy in the Hour: Meet Lynn Milligan, Volunteer Program Coordinator
Lynn Milligan knows military families. She grew up in one, she married into one, and she's worked with them for over 25 years. In her own words, she "has no idea what it's like to live civilian." So, when it comes to working with PEI's military community, coordinating events, programs, and services, Lynn's a pro.
Growing up, Lynn's dad was a serving Air Force member, so their family moved around...a lot.
“It was our normal…I didn’t realize it was different. We did stuff all families do. The big thing, when you’re a military kid is that either you leave or your best friend leaves, pretty much every year of your life. You learn to keep going.”
She credits her semi-nomadic childhood to her independent, resilient, and empathetic personality today. She also recognizes the toll that lifestyle must have played on her mother—especially since MFRCs did not exist at that time.
“When you’re a kid, you just make new friends through school—you’re constantly going—but it must have been a lot different for my mom. As an adult, it can be harder to make new friends, every time you move.”
All these years later and it’s now Lynn who is helping military families make those essential connections.
A Soft Place to Land
At the PEI MFRC, Lynn is the current Volunteer Program Coordinator. She overseas a team of dedicated volunteers, organizing monthly meetings, morale mail assembly lines, and whatever else requires help from volunteers. She also assists with various special projects and events, especially those pertaining to child and youth (Lynn's background is in early childhood education).
A typical day may have her emailing or phoning clients, planning/presenting volunteer orientation, researching possible activities for families, organizing second language training, and helping out on the post-secondary bursary committee.
While much of Lynn’s job falls in the planning category, she does spend some time directly with military families, so she’s seen many of the challenges that come from being a part of the military community, including relocation stress, a rise of PTSD cases, and disconnection to the wider community.
She’s also seen firsthand some of the greatest hurts military families can experience. During her time in Gagetown, where she worked at the MFRC daycare, there were families who lost loved ones in the Afghanistan conflict.
“Those years were rough,” notes Lynn. “MFRCs often provide a soft place to land for anyone experiencing stress or hard times.”
But she also sees the joy.
Socials & Events: Crucial Connectors
Lynn's favourite part of working with the PEI MFRC is seeing the families at the various events the organization hosts. She laughs as she explains that she loves the noise because it means families are coming together to share, have fun, and just be.
"Typically, children will be racing around, while the adults gather to chat. There's lots of talking and laughing, and, you know, it doesn't matter what the event is, there is just this feeling of connection—you just know, for a short period of the day, these families get to leave behind the not-so-great parts of life. There is joy in that hour.”
Lynn speaks to how these socials allow families to be “in the moment,” something she firmly believes the MFRC should be about.
"It matters," says Lynn. "These families need to connect so they can commiserate with the hardships and share in the good. While most of our families are reservist, which means many continue to live and work on PEI, they still live a lifestyle that is different from civilian families. The connections formed with us and between military families are crucial in offering a stable support system for military families."
It's no secret that while at these events, Lynn's attention is on the children; you can sense her own joy as she talks about her smallest and most energetic clients.
"Oh, I just love seeing the kids having fun," she says. "I like to say children have 'new car smell' and they're what’s going to take over the world. They're my helpers, too, because so many times, it's the children who act as icebreakers between groups at an event."
On PEI, the military families often all know each other—a connection that is established through the province’s small size but one that is solidified and strengthened through these MFRC gatherings.
“When a new family arrives, they’re brought right into the fold,” Lynn says, speaking to the challenge larger centres may have where new people may not be immediately identified.
“This is Where I Should Be”
When asked to share some memorable moments, Lynn smiles. She has no trouble listing off several heart-warming moments, many of which involve children and take place spontaneously during an MFRC event. A child handing a cookie to an elderly person…the time when families cheered on a child who had arrived late for a fundraising race but who was encouraged to run it anyway…a parent sharing the news that they were expecting another child with Lynn…the stories are endless, and each one is grounded in a special memory for Lynn.
“For me, it’s not necessarily a specific thing, but it’s really those things that make me go ‘aw.’”
Reflecting on her 25+ year career, Lynn affirms that she’s had very few days where she hasn’t wanted to be doing what she does.
"This is where I should be. It's as much for me as it is for anybody else. I found what suited me…it just so happened to be reciprocal arrangement.”
If you are interested in volunteering with the PEI MFRC and being one of Lynn’s helpers, you can contact her via email ([email protected]) or by leaving a message with our main office (902.892.8999).
