Founder And Director Of The Mural Project
Inspired by the death of her great-uncle in Italy during the Second World War, Karen Storwick has become passionate about the preservation of Canadian Military History, honouring Canadian veterans and raising awareness of their dedication and sacrifice.
As a freelance Historian, Fundraiser and Project Manager, she works both as a volunteer and on contract with the Military Museums in Calgary. She is the Founder and Director of the Mural of Honour at the Military Museums and, through the project, raised over $650,000 for the Museum. Karen tours the virtual Mural of Honour through classrooms each year to teach students about 200 hundred years of Canadian history and the importance of Remembrance.
As well as her work at the Museum, Karen belongs to a group of historians, both Canadian and European, working toward the common goal of commemorating unmarked battlefields in Europe. As a volunteer, she assists in the coordination of annual Veteran’s Pilgrimages and Commemorative Ceremonies in Italy, producing plaques and fundraising to cover costs for the monuments.
Since 2006 she has traveled with over 70 veterans and their families on these pilgrimages, coordinated 5 plaques and monuments honouring Canadians in Italy and partnered in the unveiling of 5 others with her Italian colleagues.
As an extension to the work she does in Italy, Karen has developed an educational study program and tour itinerary for athletic teams and school children to honour the personal stories of soldiers buried in Villanova and study the battlefields of the Italian Campaign.
In a continuing effort to preserve the experiences and memories of veterans, Karen has an ongoing Oral History project, having completed over 300 oral histories of Second World War, Korean War and Afghanistan war veterans that will be donated to the Museum archives for research.
In 2012 Karen was awarded the Veteran's Affairs Commendation Medal for her work in the development of the Mural of Honour and the preservation of Canadian history in Italy. In 2017 Karen was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (civil Division).
When not devoting her time to her interest in Military History, Karen immerses herself in her other passions; her family, her dogs and making music.