Veterans continue to serve through emergency response and community ties

Team Rubicon Canada receives $750,000 from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund

OTTAWA, ON, May 5, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, during Emergency Preparedness Week 2021, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, announced that Team Rubicon Canada (TRC) is receiving $750,000 over three years from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to support the Veteran Pandemic Recovery Project.

The Veteran Pandemic Recovery Project will help enrich the lives of Veterans across Canada by engaging them in the service of others and helping communities to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past year, Veterans with TRC have worked to curb the humanitarian crises caused by COVID-19, supporting food bank volunteer needs and COVID-19 mobile testing sites. They have also responded to extreme weather events and provided emergency support to Indigenous communities. This funding will allow TRC to expand online outreach sessions for Veterans, as well as on-site engagement during disaster response operations within the COVID-19 environment.

Quote 

"When they leave the Canadian Armed Forces, our Veterans bring some incredibly valuable experience with them to their lives after service. Team Rubicon helps them leverage their skills to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. I'm incredibly proud that we're able to provide Team Rubicon with the funding they need to help Veterans across Canada make a difference as we all grapple with this pandemic."

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

"The Veteran and Family Well-Being funding will help us re-unite and re-energize veterans to continue their service, and to emerge from the pandemic stronger, and more engaged in communities than ever before. The Veteran Pandemic Recovery Project also aims to reduce the emergency management skills gap, building an enduring, prepared, Veteran-led humanitarian force for good."

Bryan Riddell, CEO, Team Rubicon Canada

Quick Facts  

• Since 2018, the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund has provided approximately $25 million, including future year commitments to help more than 60 organizations improve the lives of Veterans and their families right across the country in areas like homelessness, mental health, the transition to civilian life, supporting women Veterans, and more.
  
  
• Budget 2021 proposes to provide an additional $15 million over three years, starting this year, to expand and enhance the fund for projects supporting Veterans during the post COVID-19 recovery, including addressing homelessness, employment, retraining, and health challenges.
  
  
• Team Rubicon Canada mobilizes Veterans to continue their service. Over the course of the three-year project, the fund will help Team Rubicon support 1,800 Veterans and family members.
  
  
• Emergency Preparedness Week 2021 is 2-8 May 2021.
  
  
• Team Rubicon Canada also received $190,000 in November from the Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund as part of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.

Related Products

• Andrei Roberge of Team Rubicon: Transition tips from a Veteran who did it twice
• Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund progress story
• Watch more videos to see how Canada's Veterans and Team Rubicon Canada help communities in need.

Associated Links

• Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund
• Fund guidelines
• Funding recipients (2021, 2019 and 2018)
• Questions and Answers

SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada