Soldier On Sports Recovery/Rehabilitation Fund

[Takeniteasy]

Good Day again; I have some personal accounts from CF members who have received funding from the Soldier On program, I will post them with their permission on here in the next couple of days. I will start with Sgt Karen McCoy's letter.

What Soldier On has meant to me

In the beginning, the sole purpose of my fitness training was to keep me in shape, both physically and mentally. Once being introduced to the Soldier On Program my outlook changed, drastically. 

In May 2007 I was introduced to Paralympics, thanks to a Soldier On sponsored symposium. Along with fellow injured soldiers, I was given the opportunity to participate in various Paralympic sports. I was truly in awe of the capabilities of the individuals showing us ‘their’ sports. Wheelchair Basketball and Tennis, Sitting Volleyball, Sledge Hockey and Running were but a few demonstrated during a weekend in Ottawa.  We participated with these excellent Canadian Champions and learned the power of sports. I came back from that weekend with goals that far outreached my previous ambitions prior to losing my leg to cancer: One day I was going to participate in the Paralympics.

Along with Capt Kim Fawcett, I was invited that summer by Phil Allen of Volleyball Canada, to participate in training camps with the Canadian Men’s National Volleyball Team in Edmonton.(We are in the grassroots for this sport in Canada.) This was an experience of a life time and training was second to none.  These highly motivated athletes taught us to reach for the stars. Through the power of sport all was attainable.  Fortunately for Kim and I, we attended the last two camps prior to their departure to their very first international competition in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately there are not enough females participating to make a team of our own, but the time will come when this will be a reality. So put the word out there that we are looking for civilian and military ladies to participate in this energetic sport. 

This has not impeded my goals.  I am presently learning to run on my Cheetah prosthetic so I might someday have the opportunity to run or participate in other sports in the Paralympics.  There is a lot to learn with this new tool but thanks to Soldier On, I get the opportunity to participate in training camps with other soldiers in a similar situation and with the same ultimate question:  “Now that I have the tools, how can I utilize them?” 
These ‘Soldier On’ sponsored activities allows us to share with each other what works for us and what doesn’t.  All of us always use the opportunity to develop our new skills and learn challenging physical fitness training programs from experienced PSP staff and physiotherapists. This helps improve our overall strength and cardio so our goals are more attainable. In my opinion, the networking developed with other soldiers with “Diverse Abilities” is one of the hidden highlights of this Soldier On sponsored training camps.

I do not know where I would be today with my rehab if it were not for these dedicated individuals and the power of sports.
Thank you and “Soldier On”.

Sgt Karen McCoy
Aviation Technician
403 (Hel) OT Sqn Gagetown

She is on our banner 3rd picture playing basketball.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On

 

[Takeniteasy]

Here is a letter from Sgt Steve Daniel (retired)

I started rowing last summer immediately after the Paralympic Summit. I started on the water in a doubles boat, but was not able to manage due to lack of trunk strength. In December 07, I began training arms-only on the  rowing ergometer as part of the Rowing Canada monitoring program. I was assessed as an Arms-only rower at the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships and was able to set the arms-only record at that competition. Based off my indoor performance, I was invited to the NART training camp this past April to start my on-water singles training.

My routine since training camp has consisted of getting on the water as much as possible. Over the last few weeks I was training on the water 4-6 days a week. I would also do core and strength training as part of my program a couple times a week. My average on water work out is about 6 km and I've logged close to 100km since getting on the water in April.

My accident happened on June 30th, 2005. I was a candidate on a Military Freefall Parachute Instructor Course near Trenton, ON. On my second jump of the day I had a hard landing in which I shattered my T-11 vertebrae and was paralyzed instantly.

I served 14 years as an Infantryman in the Royal Canadian Regiment and retired as a Sergeant in 2007. During my years of service I completed 4 tours of duty; Croatia 1994, Bosnia 1998 and 2000, Afghanistan 2003.     

I truly enjoy being able to spend time with my family. During my military service, I spent many months at a time away on tour or attending courses, which is very hard on a family. My goal now is to live a balanced life and enjoy being a father and role model to my 5yr old son Owen. Sport is important to me because of the challenges it provides, and I would like to pursue rowing and possibly other adaptive sport at a competitive level in the future.

I am currently in school taking Business Administration, but would like to pursue a Degree in Sport Administration after I graduate from College next year. My aim is to work towards furthering sport for persons with disabilities in my local area as a way of staying active and healthy.

Physical fitness has always played an important part of my life, but as a person with a Spinal Cord Injury, it is difficult to find ways in which to stay active without the proper resources. Soldier On has played a key element in my rehabilitation by introducing me to examples of individuals who have excelled in sport despite their disabilities. The program has also provided me with the tools (equipment) to pursue both recreational and competitive sport, so that I may fulfill my own aspirations of staying healthy and challenging myself to be competitive as a disabled athlete.

Steve

Duty With Honour   
Soldier On

 

[Takeniteasy]

A letter from MCpl Rick Rickard;

When I was first invited to the Learn to Ski Festival, I was very excited. As the days went by bringing me closer to the departure date. My anticipation grew every day. When my wife and I arrived at the Airport on 06 Jan we were heart broken to find out that there were no flights leaving North Bay that day and probably not the next day either due to the unexpected warm weather creating a major fog belt. Realizing the Airport Shuttle would not get us to Toronto in time for the flight, I called MCpl Rioux, 2IC of 22 Wing Transport, at 05:00 in the morning asking if there was anything he could suggest. Knowing what this trip meant to me and the Soldier on Program, MCpl Rioux volunteered to get up and drive me to meet my flight in Toronto. MCpl Rioux managed to get me to the terminal in time to make the flight to Vancouver. We later learned that the North Bay Airport was not reopened for flights until sometime Thursday. If it was not for MCpl Rioux's extreme flexibility to give up his time on a Sunday to ensure I made my flight I would not have been able to attend this awesome festival and experience the amazing opportunity to once again ski down a mountain.

The Learn to ski Festival was the greatest adventure I have ever had. Being an Above knee Amputee for almost 20 years I have not attempted to ski since before my accident. Glen Hooge and all the volunteers of the Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsport are amazing. The teaching Techniques that they used are second to none. They managed to teach me to three track in a matter of hours that I was confident enough to attempt a trip down the beginners hill. Assisting me to graduate to the Eagle lift that took me 6000 feet up the mountain. The adrenalin rush that I had as I watched the lift take me higher and higher up the mountain knowing that I had the ability to once again after 20 years ski down a mountain feeling the fresh powder and wind in my face was something I never thought I would feel again in my life. Thanks to you and the Soldier On Program you made me realize that there is a lot that injured Soldiers can still accomplish and succeed at. This trip and opportunity that you and all the members of The Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports gave me has made a drastic change in my life. With my pending release getting closer and closer I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life or a second career. This opportunity to go to Mount Washington and learn to Ski again as well as seeing the kindness and support that all the instructors had, let alone the cheers of joy and accomplishments that the students made during this week has changed my life for ever. It has allowed me you finally see what I want to do upon leaving the Service. I want to get involved with the local adaptive Ski Program and find a job either working with disabled children or Veterans. I also want to add the Importance of having my wife attend to assist me as well as enjoy my accomplishments was priceless. Over the last year or so MCpl Paul Franklin, MS Eric Payne, ret. And I have become friends trading off amputee secrets and accomplishments. Seeing how my spouse and Eric's Spouse got along and be able to trade off information of what each has gone through themselves, made me see how important it is to include the spouses in theses ventures as well. It gives them an excellent opportunity to network and realize that they are not the only ones going through this ordeal and they have a lot of support out there as well as we do. I would like to strongly suggest that this Learn to Ski Festival be done again, but with a much larger group of injured Service Members and their spouses.

In closing I want to thank you again and volunteer in assisting you in any way you may need in the future with the Soldier on Program.

Chimo
B.F. Rickard
Rick
MCpl B.F. Rickard

Duty With Honour
Soldier On

 

[Takeniteasy]

Letter from MCpl Paul Franklin;

"Snowboarding at Comox on Mount Washington was the first time since my attack and subsequential loss of both legs that I had felt true freedom. Although the instructors were always close to help me...it was being in the mountains once again.  True freedom."

"As i have always said its not the disability its the ability of all involved the whole week involved people who have trouble in normal society suddenly stepping up and flying down the hill."

"The smiles said it all from the old army amputees to the 8 year old MS victims.  Together we found a common interest and expressed it as we all slid down the slopes at a harrowing pace"

"In the end its not about skiing or snowboarding its about families getting back together in an activity that many wouldn't consider possible."

"For me to stand ontop a mountain is incredible...that feeling of the mountain air as i stood on 5 meters of snow was truly inspirational.  Its only got me thinking of all the possibilities of things that i can do and not what i cant."

Paul


These men and woman are moving forward everyday. They truly are an example of ability and that the mind is the most powerfull tool in life. No matter what circumstance, there is always a way ahead. Together we are a strong force in their recovery.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On

 

[Takeniteasy]

Good Day to all;
I am posting a picture of Pte. Rob Webster (PPCLI) who attended the Toronto Boat Show. The picture is taken in front of a Martin 16 footer that was displayed at the Disabled Sailors Association of Ontario booth. It is our hopes that this summer Rob gets to take this boat onto the water. Very possible with the right resources coming together.
Thanks for the pic Phil.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On

 

[Takeniteasy]

I am posting some art work done by MWO Relihan who is based in Ottawa. He is a Weapons Tech by trade. He sent us the first pic in honour of the Soldier On Program and the second 2 are others he has done in the past.
Finding ways to express oneself in constructive ways is very healthy for the mind and spirit. There are a few others like these on the internet and he is very honoured to share his work with everyone. "I do a little dudelling now and then" an understatement to say the least.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On

 

[geo]

BZ to the MWO for some incredible artwork.

 

[The Bread Guy]

HIghlights mine - shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

powder vets
A new program puts injured soldiers back on the slopes. Hayley Mick reports
HAYLEY MICK, Globe & Mail, 6 Feb 09
Article link (.pdf also attached if link doesn't work)

When you're down, get back in the saddle, they say.

Or in the case of Major Mark Campbell, get back on the ski hill.

This week, seven months after a roadside bomb tore off both his legs, Major Campbell felt the whoosh of cold alpine air for the first time since his world blew apart in Afghanistan.

Sure, he didn't barrel down mountain faces the way he once did. But on the bunny hill, sailing low to the ground with his rear strapped into a seat suspended over a ski, he felt an old, familiar sensation.

"When you're balanced and you're carving a turn, it still feels right," he says.

For five days ending today, the 44-year-old and fellow soldiers from across the country have gathered on Mount Washington on Vancouver Island. Each bears a physical reminder of bombs and shrapnel: one lost an eye, several are missing one or more limbs.

Coached one-on-one as part of a new learn-to-ski program for Canada's wounded soldiers, they have fought for balance, gripped alien equipment and tried to make it to the bottom in one piece. "I'm spending as much time sideways as I am upright," Major Campbell joked.

But the free course is about more than teaching the soldiers to cut through powder.

Organizers of the first Canadian Forces Disabled Veterans Ski Festival predict the program's emotional impact will snowball far beyond the hill.

"If you can ski a mountain, then what else can you do? The only hurdle is your mind," says Sgt. Andrew McLean of Soldier On, a federal program promoting fitness and athletics for wounded soldiers, and a co-organizer of the ski camp.

More than 360 Canadians have been wounded in Afghanistan since 2006.When they return home, they must fight new battles: for proper equipment, self-esteem, a sense of belonging in the military and, in Major Campbell's case, navigating life in a wheelchair with a goal to walk again on prosthetic limbs.

The married father of a daughter, 9, and son, 12, still struggles with his dependence on others. "All of a sudden I'm like a newborn child," he says.

But that's not how he felt this week. It may have taken four men to carry his 200-pound frame up the cafeteria stairs, but swapping stories with other injured soldiers and basking in the positivism of instructors and a Paralympian who dropped by, "you don't feel like a burden," he says.

Seeing prosthetic limbs strewn all over the lodge buoyed the spirits of another participant, Sergeant Lorne Ford of Gibbons, Alta.

"Nobody's saying, 'Poor me' and all that other crap," says the 39 year-old, who lost an eye and mobility in his left ankle during a friendly-fire incident in April, 2002, that killed four of his Canadian comrades.

The program got off the ground thanks in large part to the persistence of Glen Hooge, a former soldier with 31 years of military service. For 14 years, he has been teaching people with disabilities how to ski through the Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports, which has operated on Mount Washington.

Five years ago, Mr. Hooge and several other Canadian instructors began volunteering at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Colorado, where U.S. participants learn how to ski, trap shoot, scuba dive and play sled hockey.

Mr. Hooge was inspired by what he saw.

The festival, run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, started 23 years ago with 87 participants and has since ballooned to more than 350 participants. The program's founder, Sandy Trombetta, says he had to fight for a green light from mountain officials and army brass when it started. "They thought it was a waste of time, money, and (that) I was going to hurt people."

Since then, doctors and therapists have realized that sports, art and other forms of recreation aren't just fun. They help reduce stress and anxiety, and give people a sense of possibility, says Mr. Trombetta, a recreational therapist with Veterans Affairs for more than 30 years.

"You get them up there and they're ripping it up and they're having a great time - it's profound."

Mr. Hooge decided to implement a similar program in Canada. Even with his military background, he struggled at first to reach soldiers who might benefit from such an experience. But in 2006, he was put in touch with Sgt. McLean, who through Soldier On helped a handful of soldiers take part in a public learn-to-ski program at Mount Washington.

This year, Mr. Hooge and Sgt. McLean created the program solely for wounded soldiers. Mount Washington, Soldier On and the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warriors Fund have covered all ski and travel costs for the participants and one friend or family member.

Only eight soldiers signed on, but with greater awareness about the program and its benefits, Mr. Hooge says, he hopes it will be a growing, annual event.

Major Campbell expects to reach the top of the mountain long before then.

"Once it clicks, I'll only wipe out because I'm pushing the limits," he says.

 

[ArmyRugby]

Great times Andrew and I wish I could have been there.  Next year!

MCpl Duane Dixon

 

[Takeniteasy]

Good Day to all from Mt. Washington;
It has been a busy week and the participants of the ski week have been carving turns on the slopes in great style. I will have a few more pics of the week in days to come but I can post this one as it was taken yesterday of our group. I will have individual pics and names of instructors as many who were giving the lessons were CF members or retired.
Duane, Frank, Lance many more opportunities to come.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On
Sgt Andrew McLean

(pic left to right: Andrew McLean, Eric Payne, Rick Rickard, Jake Wilkinson, Mark Campbell, Bruce Henwood, Dave Childs, Lorne Ford and Jody Mitic) Feb 5th 2009

 

[simysmom99]

That is a great photo!  I'm sorry that Paul had to miss it this year, but he will be back!
Good to see Lorne and Bruce Henwood out.  Nicely done!

 

[Takeniteasy]

Good Day to all;
I have pictures from the ski week but will hold off until the upgrade is more complete.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On
Sgt Andrew McLean

 

[Takeniteasy]

Just received this email from Sue Hogan NCR DAGPWD;

Good morning,

The Government of Canada, in Budget 2007, announced the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), the Canada Disability Savings Grant and the Canada Disability Savings Bond as a way to help eligible people with severe and prolonged disabilities, their families and others to save for long-term financial security.

The Registered Disability Savings Plan is a tax-assisted savings vehicle administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.

The Government of Canada has extended the application period for the 2008 RDSP Grant and Bond through March 2, 2009 to provide people with disabilities and their families more time to access the 2008 matching Grant and income-tested Bond. Contributions made on or before March 2, 2009 will be considered for 2008 Grants. These Grants will not be included in 2009 Grant limits.

Bond applications made on or before March 2, 2009 will be considered for Bonds in 2008, 2009, and in future years.  The Bond, once paid, will continue to be paid automatically in subsequent years if the Beneficiary remains eligible.

More information on this program can be found at the following HRSDC
website:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/disability_issues/disability_savings/index.shtml

 

[Takeniteasy]

Ok; I have some pictures of the ski week to post. The last picture of is of Andrea Dziewior who is a member of our Canadian Woman Para-Alpin Ski Team. She took time to come out on Monday and Friday to ski with the group. Her smile and great attitude made for a great connection and we thank her for her time and most importantly her smile. Her Para-Alpine bio is here: http://www.canski.org/webconcepteur/web/alpine/en/disabledskiteam/nav/cpast_athlete.html?page=details.jsp&iddoc=86040

Duty With Honour
Soldier On 

 

[Takeniteasy]

Ski/snowboard pics

 

[Takeniteasy]

more

 

[Takeniteasy]

last 2; Jody and Andrea Dziewior Canadian Para-Alpine team member and hopefull for Vancouver 2010.  T: train hard Andrea.

 

[Takeniteasy]

Good Day to all; sorry I have not been on my father is fighting cancer again so I went home for a week.

The Sudbury Star has an article on MCpl Mike Trauner check it out:
http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1446159

Duty With Honour
Soldier On

 

[Takeniteasy]

Andrew,
Yeah - you sorta answered my question but, I am just wondering how I can participate in the Gov't of Canada workplace charitable campaign (Deduction at source) while, at the same time, contributing to the Soldier On program.

(might suggest that, using the deductions at source - you'd possibly receive and continue to receive more $$$ for your programs)

CANADIAN FORCES PERSONNEL SUPPORT AGENCY does have it's own Tax number (118885755RR0001)
just want to know that, if I send you some $$$ from each pay, you guys should get it...

Good Day to all; I would like to update those of you who were interested in payroll deductions for the Soldier On program. Geo who first asked me here on Army.ca was one of many who inquired about the possiability of contributing in the same way as the GCWCC. At the time of his post I was able to come up with an NPF form that would allow for such deductions. At this time we are able to contribute to Soldier On, Military Families Fund and the Hospital Comforts Fund using payroll deduction. I have attached the necessary forms and instructions on how to do it.
As for the GCWCC campaign we are still not able to be part of it. The response is as expected do to not being a registered charity. With that said we are able to treat donations to our programs like charitable donations and can issue Crown receipts that can be used exactly like tax receipts come tax time. No difference.

If there are futher questions please contact me.

Duty With Honour
Soldier On
WO Andrew McLean

 

[Takeniteasy]

Here are the NPF forms to complete your payroll deduction.