CALGARY, June 3, 2019 /CNW/ - The Homes for Heroes
Foundation (the Foundation) and Canadian Pacific (CP) are proud to
announce the third annual Spin for a Veteran event held this past
weekend beat expectations and raised more than $505,000, which will go towards building homes
for homeless veterans. To date, this event has raised approximately
$800,000 to support homeless veterans
reintegrating into civilian life. Each $100,000 raised represents the organization's
ability to build one home, bringing CP's total to eight
homes.
Held on Canadian Armed Forces Day, CP's Spin for a Veteran had
18 teams of CP employees, local companies and emergency services
riding for 24 hours in a spin competition to see who could ride the
farthest. Teams including CP, ATCO, Calgary Police Service and Lord Strathcona's
Horse Regiment rode a total distance of 14,290 kilometres,
equivalent to travelling from Vancouver,
B.C. to Cape Spear,
Newfoundland and back again. The
CP Veterans team pushed through and won the competition, covering
925 kilometres.
"CP has a long history of supporting the military and we are
proud to have our employees rally behind this important cause,"
said CP Senior Vice-President, Operations System and Canadian
veteran Scott MacDonald. "It's an
honour and a privilege to support our Canadian veterans in their
time of need as they so selflessly stood on guard for this great
country. This event is a means to increase support to help combat
veteran homelessness in Calgary."
Thousands of Canadians who have fought in the armed forces are
without homes due to challenges they face transitioning out of
active duty. The Foundation's mandate is to provide housing and the
framework needed to ensure a successful transition into civilian
life to those who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces.
"The funds raised will be used to build affordable homes in a
community of peers with a support structure designed to meet
individual needs, and provide a sense of place and belonging for
Canadian military veterans experiencing homelessness," said Homes
for Heroes Foundation Co-founder and President Dave Howard. "Homes for Heroes is very fortunate
to have the support from local businesses like CP to host this
spectacular event each year and raise money to help the Foundation
build homes in veterans village. We owe it to our Canadian soldiers
to help them through the challenging times they might be
encountering, and we believe we have a solution to end the homeless
issues they're facing."
The Homes for Heroes veterans village will be a unique tiny-home
community that offers a solution to the homeless Canadian military
veterans. Each home will be named after a Canadian soldier who lost
his or her life in Afghanistan.
The community is scheduled to open fall 2019. You can donate online
at Spin4Vets.com.
"I commend CP and their employees for their ongoing efforts to
support Canada's Veterans through
the Spin for a Veteran initiative," said Minister of National
Defence, The Honourable Harjit S.
Sajjan. "Events like this one allow Canadians to demonstrate
gratitude for the service of our women and men in uniform. I wish
the organizers and participants every success in achieving their
fundraising goals this year."
"I have seen first-hand the commitment CP has made to supporting
veterans," said CP Manager Diversity and Military Relations Rory
Thompson, a British military veteran. "CP recognizes and values the
skills and experiences that veterans obtain throughout their
military service and as such has established a very credible
Military Recruitment Program which assists veterans with gaining
employment."
Follow Spin for a Veteran on Facebook for updates on future
events. CP wants to be the employer of choice for military
veterans. Visit https://www.cpr.ca/veterans for more.
About Homes for Heroes
Homes for Heroes Foundation is
a registered charity with the goal to build tiny-home villages in
all major cities across Canada. In
order to be successful, Homes for Heroes is looking for further
financial support and land donations. To learn more and support
Homes for Heroes visit
https://homesforheroesfoundation.ca/
About Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific is a
transcontinental railway in Canada
and the United States with direct
links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North
American customers a competitive rail service with access to key
markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its
customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services,
logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit
cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP.
SOURCE Canadian Pacific