For 12 hours Saturday Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) employees, service personnel and corporate teams rode spin bikes to raise funds and awareness for charities focusing on housing homeless veterans in Canada and the U.S.
In Canada, that organization is the Homes for Heroes Foundation.
The foundation was formed to help military veterans who find themselves homeless as they return to civilian life.
It’s believed as many as 5,000 veterans are living on the streets in Canada.
“We help them with a home but it's really about the programs that we supply around vulnerable populations dealing with addiction, job skills, life skills and so forth,” said Brad Field, president and CEO of Homes for Heroes.
“The peer support program is significant. They feel comfortable, they come with a military background they can share stories within their peer group so definitely significant,” said Field.
Homes for Heroes was established in 2018 and opened its first tiny home village in Calgary in 2019.
The foundation now has villages in Edmonton and Kingston, Ont. and will soon be building one in Winnipeg.
“Our company, CP, and now CPKC has a long history of supporting military veterans and understand the challenge that it takes to reintegrate,” said Brad Robertson, vice-president of mechanical car at CPKC.
CPKC began spin for a veteran event in 2017 and in that time it has raised $2.5 million to help homeless veterans.
This year, CPKC employees in Kansas City are also participating.
“In Kansas City they're doing the same thing. They were established in 2015 and they have villages of tiny homes and help veterans reintegrate back into society,” Robertson said.
Robertson says this year’s fundraising goal is $600,000 and CPKC is matching donations dollar-for-dollar.
