NANAIMO — A group of veterans, first responders, and civilian volunteers are travelling across B.C. and the Yukon to raise awareness for an important cause to relieve financial stress during difficult times.
The Honour House Society is a charity house in New Westminster which provides a free, temporary home for first responders and their families while receiving treatment at local hospitals.
Their humvee and trailer stopped at a central Nanaimo business on Wednesday, April 26, as part of their three-month journey.
Veteran Trevor Greene of Nanaimo was at the event, and said Honour House holds a special place in his heart.
“I was wounded in Afghanistan, and I apparently was the inspiration for Honour House, because there was a story about my parents visiting and the expense of staying in a hotel, so they built Honour House. I go to Vancouver for special therapy every three months, and if we didn’t have Honour House, it would be really expensive. It’s a great place.”
In 2006, Greene was on a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan when he was hit in the head by an axe, putting him in a wheelchair and on the long road to recovery.
He spoke about how important this tour is, not only to raise money but to let other veterans and first responders know that it’s an option.
“People don’t know about it. I was just talking to a legion member who’s got lung cancer from his service in the Navy, and he was spending $400 a visit to his specialist, and he didn’t know about Honour House. So getting the word out is important.”
A number of legion members, firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders gathered at Inland Kenworth on Wednesday, April 26, as the Tour of Honour made a stop in Nanaimo. (Montana Jeffares/NanaimoNewsNOW )Justin De Genova is the volunteer behind the wheel of the green Humvee, and he said he wants to make sure men and women who wear the uniform know there is a support system in place if and when they need it.
“I hear stories of people who stay in the Lower Mainland and they spend thousands of dollars on a hotel, and their family often is separated in different places if they come down to visit, whereas Honour House provides a facility for the families to unite during a time of either grief or trauma, mourning, whatever that is.”
He said families being able to heal together is a very powerful thing.
There is also the Honour Ranch, located west of Kamloops, with a main lodge and ten private cabins on 120 acres, with a focus on mental wellness and mindfulness programs.
De Genova said this fundraising push will help to make sure both Honour House and Honour Ranch remain free of charge.
So far they’ve managed to raise just over $100,000, about 11 per cent of their one million dollar goal.
“Whether your treatment is one day, 100 days, or 180 days, we are there for these men and women, as long as they need. There is no time limit. Often it’s not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to trauma, so we want to ensure we’re there for these first responders in every way that we can be.”
The tour began at the start of April in Chilliwack, with an end goal of finishing up in the Lower Mainland around the first week of June.
More information can be found here at honourhouse.ca.
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