Interview with Hero Fund Executive Director Michael Ball
Hero Fund’s Executive Director Michael Ball recently took some time to answer a few questions about how it all got started and where things might be headed in future for our charity.
1) Where did the ‘idea’ for Hero Fund first originate?
One of the main things was the impact of seeing very young soldiers going to Afghanistan and leaving families behind and sometimes not making it back. It affected us here at home, and we felt the urge to go out and do something to support them.
2) What moment or event stands out most distinctly to you from the last couple years of Hero Fund?
Interacting with the families of the fallen has been the most humbling experience for all of us at Hero Fund. Those interactions have really reinforced our reasons for doing this. A couple that really stand out are two fundraisers for Hero Fund that were held by family and close friends of fallen soldiers. In Peterborough in early 2010 there was an amateur kickboxing event called Fight 4 Troops – a 14 year old nephew of a fallen soldier put it on, it was his idea from scratch. In Vancouver a cross fit competition [competitive workouts] at the gym of a former cross fit trainer who had been killed in Afghanistan was held to support us. His friends arranged it in his honour, his parents were there. Those really stood out.
3) What is your medium- and long-term vision for Hero Fund?
In the medium term we would like to continue to grow the organization to become a sustainable vessel for grassroots engagement, fundraising and awareness. That means branching out through more student chapters, more events across the country and more third-party events, more people finding Hero Fund and raising money in their own ways. We want Hero Fund to be self-sustaining and raise scholarship funds. The long-term vision is to be a true civilian grassroots outlet of support for military families, and especially to be there down the road with our scholarship program when kids of the fallen are of age to go to university.
4) How can folks reading this at home take steps immediately to support Hero Fund?
A great step is doing your own fundraiser because it is engaging, and families of the forces have told us that that the show of support means a lot to them. A lot of people are intimidated by the idea of doing their own event, but we have had fundraisers that have raised anything from $50 to $500. Folks considering putting an event on should just remember that for most military families, the gesture of support is a lot more important than putting on a huge event or raising a large sum of money.
