Team Rubicon Canada and True Patriot Love Foundation receives support from Veterans Affairs Canada

Minister MacAulay visits two Mississauga Veteran and Family Well-being Fund recipients 

TORONTO, July 13, 2023 /CNW/ - Team Rubicon Canada and True Patriot Love Foundation will receive $500,000 each from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) to provide support to Veterans transitioning to life after service.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence announced the funding today through VAC's Veteran and Family Well-being Fund (VFWF). This is part of VAC's commitment, outlined in the Minister's Mandate Letter, to ensure Veterans have access to adequate, tailored mental health resources, services and training programs.

Team Rubicon Canada's project will offer free, emergency management education to Veterans through instruction on its Incident Command System. This includes planning, coordination, and implementation of Incident Command system training across Canada virtually, with more advanced training in on-site locations. The training will enhance Veteran participants' employability in emergency management in their life after service.

True Patriot Love Foundation's project addresses the loss of purpose that can occur when Veterans transition to life after service. The project will develop a National Action Plan on Veteran Volunteerism that will support their well-being. 

The VFWF was launched by VAC in 2018. It provides grants and contributions to conduct research and implement initiatives and projects that support the well-being of Veterans and their families. Between 2018 and 2023, the VFWF has awarded $42.6M in funding to 77 organizations, for 123 initiatives.

"Through their hard work, Team Rubicon Canada and the True Patriot Love Foundation continue to improve the lives of countless Veterans. The training, support and opportunities provided by both these organizations allows Veterans to continue to help improve their communities after their service. We are incredibly proud to support them."

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

"Team Rubicon Canada is thankful for the ongoing support from Veterans Affairs Canada. The Veteran and Family Well-Being funding will help us launch a new project providing Incident Command System training to transitioning Veterans. This project implementation will create an educational pathway to help Veterans enhance their employability in emergency management."

Bryan Riddell, Veteran, Chief Executive Officer, Team Rubicon Canada

"Veterans often report feeling disconnected from their community and unsure of their purpose. Research shows that volunteering taps into many Veterans desire to serve while providing deeper connection. Thanks to VAC's Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, True Patriot Love will undertake Canada's first research study on Veteran volunteering. This research will help develop a National Action Plan on Veteran Volunteerism to support those leaving the military with their transition and long-term well-being."

Nick Booth, Chief Executive Officer, True Patriot Love Foundation 

• On 24 May 2023, Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay announced that 21 projects have been approved for funding from the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund, totaling $6M over three years.
• These projects help Veterans in a wide variety of ways, including addressing homelessness, retraining, employment, mental health, and research, along with supporting women, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans, and their families.
• Team Rubicon Canada is a Veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises.
• True Patriot Love is Canada's foundation for the military community, working to support military members, Veterans, and their families at every stage of their journey.

Veteran and Family Well-being Fund
Full list of VFWF recipients
Team Rubicon Canada
True Patriot Love Foundation

SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada