The Mainland BC Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) is a Not-for-Profit charitable organization that provides programs and services to the Canadian Forces members and their families. The services range from Welcome BBQ’s, Life Skills workshops, Family Separation and Reunion Briefings, to name a few. Other programs are dedicated to children and youth of the Canadian Forces family to participate in activities with their school friends and others from the community as peer support which offers a sense of normalcy to the hectic and often up-rooted lifestyle of a CF family.
Mainland BC MFRC Vision
“Every Military Family in Mainland BC Who Needs Support – Gets Support”
Our Mission
“We commit to providing the highest quality of support to meet the needs of Military Families throughout Mainland BC.”
What’s offered?
The Military Family Support Program (MFSP) is implemented through Military Family Resource Centres at all Canadian bases, wings and stations, as well as at some foreign locations. Its programs provide needed information, support and referral; promote health and social well-being; buffer lifestyle stresses; enhance coping skills; assist in preventing individual, family and community breakdown; and help individuals or families in distress.
Professional staff and volunteers provide programs in five mandated areas: information and referral; children and youth; education and quality of life, which includes deployment assistance and employment assistance; volunteer development and involvement as well as crisis intervention.
How is it run?
Each Military Family Resource Centre is normally incorporated as a not-for-profit agency in the province in which it is located. It is governed by a community elected Board of Directors of which at least 51% must be spouses/partners of regular force CF members. Each Board works in partnership with the local military commander to serve the needs of all CF families in the area. Outside Canada, Military Family Resource Centres have an Advisory Board to the local commander.
Since l991, Military Family Resource Centres have become an integral part of the CF lifestyle. The incorporated not for profit agency model has opened the door to various local and provincial grants and fundraising opportunities. MFRCs have over 700 full and part-time employees, many of them spouses of CF members, and in excess of 1500 other CF community members who serve as volunteers at centres across Canada.