Tammy Wood has felt the love that community support can bring her family. When her husband died tragically on the job years ago, she was pregnant with their sixth child.
She never thought she'd love again, and she was certain no one would consider a woman with six young children. So she delved into the task at hand — raising her family as best as she could, staying positive and helping them through their devastating loss.
Friends, family and even complete strangers all came to their aid, helping them through the grieving process and beyond.
As more and more timed passed, Wood realized it was time to take care of herself.
It was time to go out on a date, she said. Time to get a simple cup of coffee with another adult, and enjoy some conversation. She mentioned to friend that she was lonely for companionship, and that friend knew the perfect match.
Enter Jason Alexander — tall, handsome, and a divorced father of his own four children. They initially met through Facebook, through their mutual friend. That grew to phone calls which led to the first date.
It was a match made in heaven, and over the course of a year, they fell deeply in love. All their 10 children also became close friends.
One day, Alexander took Wood out onto the lake in a boat. The sky was a beautiful blue that day, Wood recalled, and the water was aquamarine.
"He got down on one knee and told me he wanted me to be his wife till the end of our days," she said. Of course, her answer was a resounding yes. They headed for the popular Rainbow Falls, where he had wine and a picnic planned.
"It was exciting, romantic and peaceful," she said. "My heart felt complete."
They would join their two families, putting the Brady Bunch to shame with a total of 10 children.
But weddings can be pretty costly. Wood is a stay-at-home mom, with a widow's pension. Alexander hasn't been able to work recently because of an illness. It's a financial predicament that could hold off their wedding plans for quite a while.
But maybe not. In the fall, Wood saw an advertisement for a Global News contest to win a dream wedding. The prize would allow for the couple and all the kids to fly to Mexico for the big day. She was thrilled to find out they were selected as finalists.
Now it's up to that community of friends, family and complete strangers to support them. It just takes a click of the mouse.
"It would be a spectacular way to celebrate this love story," Wood said.
The contest is being run by Global, in which they air segments of each couple's stories. The segments are available on Global's website, and the Agassiz couple's story aired on Monday this week. Voting is open until January 27.
As an incentive to vote, Global is also giving away a vacation package worth $3,000 to one lucky voter.
To learn more, and to vote for Wood and Alexander, visit Global News online.