CPKC hosts spin-a-thon event to raise money for the Homes for Heroes Foundation
CPKC spin-a-thon in Calgary on Sept. 21, 2024. (Darren Wright/CTV News Calgary)
For 12 hours Saturday Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPCK) 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,” says 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,” says 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, Ontario 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,” says Brad Robertson VP Mechanical Car CKPC.
CPKC began spin for a veteran event in 2017 and over that time has raised $2.5 million to help homeless veterans.
This year CPKC employees in Kansas City, MO are also participating.
“In Canada our charity partner is the Homes for Heroes Foundation and just for 2024 we've also partnered with Veterans Community Projects in Kansas City and very similarly 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,” says Robertson.
Robertson says this year’s fundraising goal is $600 thousand and CPKC is matching donations dollar for dollar.
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