| Recipient: | Team Rubicon Canada |
|---|---|
| Project: | Veteran Pandemic Recovery Project |
| Province: | Ontario |
| Period: | 01 April 2022 – 30 March 2024 |
| Funding: | $750,000 |
Overview:
The Veteran Pandemic Recovery Project was designed to enrich the lives of Canadian Veterans and their families by engaging them in service to others as the nation healed from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aimed to expand efforts for virtual Veteran engagement opportunities through disaster response operations within and outside of the COVID-19 environment. Overall, this project increased and sustained Team Rubicon’s readiness and organizational capacity to effectively respond to disasters within Canada by building an enduring, well-prepared, Veteran-led humanitarian force.
Project goals:
The main goals of this project included:
- improvements in overall Veteran health during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic;
- increases in Veteran propensity and capacity to bolster emergency management efforts in Canada through the pandemic; and
- expansion of Team Rubicon Canada’s Veteran-led service delivery to communities within a COVID-19 environment.
Project activities:
To accomplish these goals, Team Rubicon Canada advanced program development and implementation to offer an inclusive venue for Veteran engagement. Through a wide array of program activities, the organization offered different pathways to accommodate individual interests and skills, while helping to strengthen communities and foster resilience across the nation.
Project results:
Over the project period, Team Rubicon Canada
- provided Veterans with many opportunities to participate in operational activities, service projects and member engagements, thereby offering a network of peer support and increased connections to their local communities;
- engaged Veterans’ skills and passions in the service of Canadian communities in crisis, while providing them with a sense of purpose and a renewed identity;
- enrolled 503 Veterans as new volunteers, serving 79 communities through operations and service projects; and
- provided 173 member engagement opportunities to Veterans, spanning a variety of in-person and virtual events, allowing Veterans with opportunities to stay connected to each other and their communities throughout COVID-19 lockdowns and isolation periods
As the COVID-19 related crises waned, the Veteran-led force pivoted its activities to focus on disaster response and recovery as well as other humanitarian causes. For instance, Veterans helped provide support to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. In 2023, Veterans assisted with the wildfire recovery operation in Enterprise, Northwest Territories and, in 2024, deployed to communities in Nova Scotia to assist residents following a severe winter storm. In total, there were 461 Veteran deployments during the project period.