fundraiser for wounded Canadian soldiers

[charlene]

Lightfoot was on the FAN 590 radio show last night. I missed it but he did mention that the radio host Bob McCown was in the audience one night at Massey. This article is by the Toronto Sun columnist Jow Warmington who organized the Red Rally in Toronto that Gord attended and he subsequently wrote another piece about how great Gord was for showing up. Joe's involved in this fundraiser as is the FAN 590 it seems. It's possible that Lightfoot may show up at the fundraising concert. I'll keep watch in the papers and the radio station.
Char
Joe WarmingtonWed, November 29, 2006

Lest we forget the wounded

By JOE WARMINGTON

Will there ever be a marker on the highway in Afghanistan to mark the sacrifice made by two more Canadian men there?

With or without flowers or a cross to mark the spot where they died, we in Canada will never forget the effort and valour our Canadian troops have shown.

One look at the aftermath of the latest gutless suicide attack and you can see just how easy it can be done.

And how scary that must be for our troops.

Two Canadians died in this one, which puts the number at 44 soldiers dead.

Another Canadian was wounded there yesterday, too, putting that number over 200.

For those who don't come home in coffins, it's not an easy road back, either. They must feel forgotten as they lie in their hospital beds slowly recovering from severe wounds.

They will get a morale boost today and tomorrow as Don Cherry talks about them during his next two Grapevine radio shows with Brian Williams.

Whether it's at Sunnybrook, St. John's Rehab Hospital, or any medical centre in Canada, there are an estimated 100 soldiers working their way back.

In working with them, Capt. Wayne Johnston noticed something falling between the cracks. "Their medical care was top-notch," he said. "But they had nothing to keep them busy while they heal."

And it costs them money to get better since to rent a TV in a hospital costs $10 a day. That can add up and on a soldier's salary that is just not right. Out of this the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund was born.

It's in honour of the 20-year-old Orillia native they call the "Miracle Kid," who was one metre from a suicide bomb and survived.

Johnston's idea is to raise $100,000 so these kinds of expenses are covered and so they can put some Wounded Warrior packs together with some electronics and other goodies to help them pass the time in the hospital.

Since I first wrote about this the response has been overwhelming. So many have offered to assist. I will update you when things are finalized but I can say Johnston is close to getting a major fundraiser off the ground and I have been in contact with some high-profile musicians who want to do something. Stay tuned.

"We have raised $25,000 to date," said Johnston. "What we need is a real kick in the pants with a large corporate cash infusion and/or a corporate donation."

Johnston's dream is to have a kit sent to each wounded soldier containing "a portable DVD player with headphones, a Hudson's Bay blanket, a large Canadian flag, a Team Canada sweater, a shaving kit and some sweets and treats. "This is a substantial package we are aiming for," he said. "However, these young people deserve nothing less."

Cherry, who has personally donated and is also sending over DVD copies of Don Cherry 16, 17 and 18, agrees and will make that point today in his usual "quiet and gentle" way on The Fan 590 at 7:50 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. and on 100 other stations from coast to coast and on armed forces radio. You might not want to miss it.

"It's a damn shame (there even has to be such a fund)," he said. "After all these young people have given and now they can't even watch a television without paying for it! It's ridiculous! I'll bet they don't do that in the United States."

For Johnston, the important thing is to get the fund to $100,000 so they can help these kids get better. "Don has always been a stand-up guy, a great supporter of the Canadian forces and a Canadian icon. His support will mean so much because where Don leads others follow."

If you want to follow Don's lead, you can send any amount to the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund at P.O. Box 141, Stn. Brooklin, Whitby, L1M 1B5.

[charlene]

Lightfoot was on the FAN 590 radio show last night. I missed it but he did mention that the radio host Bob McCown was in the audience one night at Massey. This article is by the Toronto Sun columnist Jow Warmington who organized the Red Rally in Toronto that Gord attended and he subsequently wrote another piece about how great Gord was for showing up. Joe's involved in this fundraiser as is the FAN 590 it seems. It's possible that Lightfoot may show up at the fundraising concert. I'll keep watch in the papers and the radio station.
Char
Joe WarmingtonWed, November 29, 2006

Lest we forget the wounded

By JOE WARMINGTON

Will there ever be a marker on the highway in Afghanistan to mark the sacrifice made by two more Canadian men there?

With or without flowers or a cross to mark the spot where they died, we in Canada will never forget the effort and valour our Canadian troops have shown.

One look at the aftermath of the latest gutless suicide attack and you can see just how easy it can be done.

And how scary that must be for our troops.

Two Canadians died in this one, which puts the number at 44 soldiers dead.

Another Canadian was wounded there yesterday, too, putting that number over 200.

For those who don't come home in coffins, it's not an easy road back, either. They must feel forgotten as they lie in their hospital beds slowly recovering from severe wounds.

They will get a morale boost today and tomorrow as Don Cherry talks about them during his next two Grapevine radio shows with Brian Williams.

Whether it's at Sunnybrook, St. John's Rehab Hospital, or any medical centre in Canada, there are an estimated 100 soldiers working their way back.

In working with them, Capt. Wayne Johnston noticed something falling between the cracks. "Their medical care was top-notch," he said. "But they had nothing to keep them busy while they heal."

And it costs them money to get better since to rent a TV in a hospital costs $10 a day. That can add up and on a soldier's salary that is just not right. Out of this the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund was born.

It's in honour of the 20-year-old Orillia native they call the "Miracle Kid," who was one metre from a suicide bomb and survived.

Johnston's idea is to raise $100,000 so these kinds of expenses are covered and so they can put some Wounded Warrior packs together with some electronics and other goodies to help them pass the time in the hospital.

Since I first wrote about this the response has been overwhelming. So many have offered to assist. I will update you when things are finalized but I can say Johnston is close to getting a major fundraiser off the ground and I have been in contact with some high-profile musicians who want to do something. Stay tuned.

"We have raised $25,000 to date," said Johnston. "What we need is a real kick in the pants with a large corporate cash infusion and/or a corporate donation."

Johnston's dream is to have a kit sent to each wounded soldier containing "a portable DVD player with headphones, a Hudson's Bay blanket, a large Canadian flag, a Team Canada sweater, a shaving kit and some sweets and treats. "This is a substantial package we are aiming for," he said. "However, these young people deserve nothing less."

Cherry, who has personally donated and is also sending over DVD copies of Don Cherry 16, 17 and 18, agrees and will make that point today in his usual "quiet and gentle" way on The Fan 590 at 7:50 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. and on 100 other stations from coast to coast and on armed forces radio. You might not want to miss it.

"It's a damn shame (there even has to be such a fund)," he said. "After all these young people have given and now they can't even watch a television without paying for it! It's ridiculous! I'll bet they don't do that in the United States."

For Johnston, the important thing is to get the fund to $100,000 so they can help these kids get better. "Don has always been a stand-up guy, a great supporter of the Canadian forces and a Canadian icon. His support will mean so much because where Don leads others follow."

If you want to follow Don's lead, you can send any amount to the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund at P.O. Box 141, Stn. Brooklin, Whitby, L1M 1B5.