The 12-year-old Lunenburg native, who was born a below-the-elbow amputee, has been actively involved in, and benefiting from, their Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program for as long as she can remember.

 Supported by The War Amps annual key-tag initiative, CHAMP has provided funding for artificial limbs, counselling, regional seminars and programs such as Matching Mothers for families across the country whose children have been affected by various forms of amputations.

 The 2010 War Amps key tags were sent out to Nova Scotians by mail March 29 and with them this year comes a special message from The War Amps CEO Cliff Chadderton.

 'In May of this year, we mark the 65th anniversary of VE [Victory in Europe] Day and, in August, the surrender of Japan which brought World War II to a close,' Mr. Chadderton explains. 'For those veterans able to return home, it provided an opportunity to re-establish ourselves. For the War Amps, it meant we could start up the key tag service.'

 Mr. Chadderton says that in the ensuing years, The War Amps has provided a strong relationship with the public, not only through the CHAMP Program, but also through the valuable lost-key return service which has seen the return of more than one million sets of keys since 1946.

 'Key tags aren't just for car keys,' he explains, adding that the service is particularly vital today due to the high replacement cost of electronic door openers and anti-theft devices.

 'Each key tag has a confidentially coded number. Should the keys be lost, the finder need only call the toll-free number on the back of the tag and the keys will be returned to the owner by bonded courier,' he says.

 For more information on The War Amps and the CHAMP Program visit http://www.waramps.ca.