Sergeant Katherine Eileen Ferris, a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 81, Aylmer since 2001, is nominated for her volunteer work in support of Veterans' well-being.
Since 2008, she has volunteered as her Legion branch's Zone Sergeant-at-Arms and Membership chair at the Parkwood Veterans Hospital. She has also taken on the role of organizing social events for Veterans at the facility. Every month she organizes bingo games and to ensure participation, she visits each floor of the hospital to bring any Veterans that want to participate in the bingo room and bring them back to their room at the end of the games.
She makes it her mission to visit resident Veterans twice a month. She brings toiletries, snacks or clothing items that may be needed and she takes the time to sit and talk with them, hold their hand and at times take them downstairs to the Iron Duke for a beer. She is a friendly face at events, birthdays and celebrations and a sympathetic friend attending funerals for Veterans in the Aylmer and St. Thomas area.
She helps with the planning of Remembrance Day activities and parade where she takes on the role of Sergeant-at-Arms, distributes poppies and engages with youth at the local scouts troop.