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On the Road: Hero Fund in Kanata

Chris Barker was in Kanata on Tuesday February 13th to accept a $10,000 donation from Rockwell Collins on behalf of the Canadian Hero Fund. Below is a reflection he wrote shortly after:

I’m heading home from Ottawa this afternoon, where I went to accept a generous donation from aviation and communications company Rockwell Collins—in the amount of $10,000. They’re expanding their facility in Kanata, and to help celebrate this big day they’ve made a big contribution toward the educational goals of our service members for their children. As I arrived at Rockwell Collins’ building,  representatives from the Air Cadet League, also receiving a donation today, were just walking in.

The Chief of Staff of the Land Reserve, Brigadier-General GJP O’Brien, co-accepted the award with me on behalf of the Canadian Hero Fund. I met the General before the ceremony along with Major MacPherson, a 30-year veteran of the army who served in Bosnia and has a young daughter. The General has had some really interesting experiences in the Army, most recently leading the Coalition effort to reform the Afghan National Police.

I was struck by how much development work, or institution building, the Coalition forces do in Afghanistan. This is not your typical image of army work. The General spearheaded the effort to reform the police, and in so doing needed to study features of police forces elsewhere, to see what would fit best with the local reality in Afghanistan. One of the key elements in building a functional police force was reforming how money flows from the federal government in Kabul to the pockets of police members.  To that end, the General and his team set up something of a national banking system and gave every member of the police an ID card, so they could get paid without middlemen skimming some (or all) off the top!

General O’Brien is also involved in his Regiment’s charitable fund and is a trustee of the Regiment’s museum.

It was great to speak to BGen O’Brien and Major MacPherson, and hear how much they appreciate the work we are doing to help the families of fallen soldiers. We certainly appreciate their service to Canada. As General O’Brien said, everyone who puts on a uniform is a hero. We definitely hope to see more of these two fine soldiers.

Start your engines!

Executive Director Michael Ball had the opportunity to meet (retired) Major-General Lewis MacKenzie at his farm outside of Ottawa. The former commander of Canadian and International Forces is helping promote a new initiative in support of the troops, and our friends at Original SWAT Canada - the exclusive distributor of the tactical “boot of choice” for Canadian Law Enforcement, EMS, Security and Military personnel - were gracious enough to arrange the visit.

I pulled up to Kimmdora farm - home of Kimmdora racing and driver, (retired) Major-General Lewis MacKenzie - on a rare rainy day in January. Major-General MacKenzie lives up to the parentheses around the word ‘retired’: At 71, he is still an active race car driver, an active leader in the private sector, and lends his experience and energy to numerous charities and organizations. I was invited by friends Scott and Amaranth from Original SWAT Canada. (@OSWATCanada are the main distributor of the boots our soldiers wear in Afghanistan and other challenging environments.) They’ve got something BIG in the works for our troops, and Hero Fund is very proud to be a part of it. On the day in question, Major-General MacKenzie had agreed to a photo shoot to promote the new campaign.
We met the General in a large barn out back, where he houses the race cars (he won his last Formula Ford race just four years ago at the age of 67). “Please, call me Lew,” he replied to my more formal introduction. It was fascinating to hear stories about his 35 years of service in the military, although he preferred talking about racing. I asked the General what he gets more of a rush from: racing, or leading soldiers in an active war zone? “I get asked that a lot,” he begins. “The only thing the two have in common is preparation.” Intense and thorough preparation of every hairpin turn, every manoeuvre, so much so that he says the main event is actually “anticlimactic”.
From someone who has dedicated his life to the Forces, it was really special to hear words of support from Major-General MacKenzie for what the Hero Fund is doing. “It’s a great movement.” (He also likes the website.) One of the General’s concerns is that now that the combat mission in Afghanistan is over, public support for the Forces will wane. His concern is shared by all at Hero Fund and Original SWAT Canada. It’s important that support for soldiers and their families is not a seasonal thing, but a constant element of our national culture. That’s really what this new campaign is about. (And I bet your wondering what it is…)
Well we’re not ready to share the full details of the campaign just yet, but it’s coming soon and we are very excited at Hero Fund. In the meantime, our new friend Julie at Julie Heather Photography took some great pictures with the General and his cars (below). Start your engines and stay tuned!
- Michael Ball

Photos from the UFC 129 Press Conference at the Rogers Center in Toronto, February 8 2011.

The Canadian Hero Fund was at the UFC 129 Press Conference at the Rogers Center in Toronto on February 8 2011. The team went down to thank Dana White, UFC Canada and Rogers Sportsnet for putting together the “UFC Fight for the Troops 2” fundraiser. We also ran into George St-Pierre who showed his support!

Fight for the Troops 2 Fundraising Announcement

Canadian Hero Fund Press Release UFC Fight for the Troops 2

Canadian Hero Fund UFC Fight for the Troops Public Service Announcement with UFC President Dana White!

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Executive Director Michael Ball is interviewed by Zack Cooper on Rogers Sportsnet’s the FAN590 about the Canadian Hero Fund’s recent partnership with the UFC and the upcoming Fight for the Troops.

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Canadian Hero Fund was interviewed on CBC Metro Morning today - one year after our first interview with them when Hero Fund was just launching. It’s a year-in-review with a few thoughts from co-founder Tim Peters on why Hero Fund has managed to thrive online. Check it out!

Newspaper Article About Canadian Hero Fund & The 11 for 11 Campaign

Canadian Hero Fund - 11 For 11 Campaign (www.herofund.ca - www.11for11.ca) Newspaper Article, November 19, …

Canadian Hero Fund is presented with a cheque for $10,000 at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton on November 12, 2010.

Red Friday:
At Canadian Finals Rodeo there will be a special military tribute on Red Friday at the performance (Friday, November 12). To support this, Lammle’s Western Wear & Tack is now selling Wrangler National Patriot shirts, where part of the shirt sales proceeds will be allocated to support Canadian military related programs, including the Military Family Resource Centre at Edmonton Garrison and the Canadian Hero Fund.
You are encouraged to show your support and wear red on November 12, and no better way than to purchase the official Wrangler National Patriot shirt today! These shirts are exclusively available at Lammle’s Western & Tack, the official western wear retailer of Canadian Finals Rodeo.