Warrant Officer Matthew Slote recently relocated to PEI with his family, which includes wife Carolee, daughters Brontë (20), Arabella (15), and Sadie (13), and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Scout
The Slote family moved to PEI this past June, due to Matthew Slote’s Military Career. They recently took some time to chat with us about what role the MFRC plays in their family’s life.
PEI MFRC: Can you tell us what role the MFRC has played in your life?
Carolee: “Being a Military family b/c we do have to move and integrate into new communities, it’s really important to us to connect to the MFRC. When we arrived here, it was the first place we went to get to know what activities are in the area, some of the other families, the services that will be provided…it’s just a great point of reference to then branch out from anytime we arrive in a new community.”
Matthew: “There’s a wide variety of support in the province—it’s really great to see that. It’s nice knowing the support [of the MFRC] is there for my family. They don’t get to choose this lifestyle and it does take its toll on all of us. It’s nice to have that constant support.”
The Slote family spoke about moving around within Canada and having the chance to connect with many MFRCs across the country.
Carolee: “I actually prefer the smaller MFRCs [like PEI’s]! With the large MFRCs, you can get lost in them and there’s not necessarily the same need because they are generally within a larger community [that already has multiple supports]. When you move to a small community, sometimes the small MFRC is your only point of contact to find out what resources are available.”
When we asked about what services the MFRC provides for the Slote daughters specifically, given that they are now older, the family spoke about finding common ground with your peers.
Arabella: “Everyone understands what you are going through and you don’t have to explain things.”
Carolee also noted the challenge for teenagers applying for jobs, scholarships, post-secondary education, and even volunteer experiences when you frequently move. She gave the example of being asked for a reference, one who has known you for a certain amount of time, when their moves limit answers to 1-3 years. In those cases, the MFRC, as an organization with branches in all provinces, can provide that continuity standard.
Carolee: “Because we move so much, it can be hard to have that continuity for things like applying for scholarships and post-secondary education and I think the MFRC is nice to tie that aspect together. Admissions boards sometimes don’t factor in these types of considerations!”
Welcome Slote family to PEI! We look forward to getting to know you more as you become more familiar with your new home.