Canadian Walk for Veterans to return to Abbotsford

Sep 7, 2022 | 5:00 PM

ABBOTSFORD — The Canadian Walk for Veterans will return as an in-person event in Abbotsford on Sept. 24 at Mill Lake at Centennial Park.

The walk is to raise awareness of Canadian veterans, first responders, and foreign nationals who have supported Canadian troops in conflict zones such as Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and other peace-keeping missions.

Marc Burchell, a national co-organizer of the event, said fundraising efforts are being stepped up this year to deal with the pandemic’s ripple effect over the last few years.

“COVID-19 has been hard on a lot of veterans and first responder organizations across the country, so this year we have teamed up with other organizations to help them raise money to support local charities,” said Burchell. “Wherever they live, we encourage Canadians from coast to coast to coast to support the Canadian Walk for Veterans and the veterans in their community by joining the walk in one of the 11 cities, or by walking where they live and making a donation.”

Walks will also be held in Courtenay, White Rock, Kamloops, Edmonton, Sylvan Lake, Calgary, Prince Albert, Kingston, Phillipsburg, and Halifax.

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Burchell also encourages people to document their walk and share it on social media with the hashtag #canwalk4vets.

Randie Scott, a 35-year veteran of the Correctional Service of Canada who served in Afghanistan, said there are many misconceptions about who people think veterans are.

“Highly skilled interpreters, cultural advisors, and project officers have always been essential to Canadian military and peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and other conflict zones. They’ve served alongside us in very high-risk environments, helping to keep us safe, and we should not leave them behind,” he said. “The public tends to think of veterans as soldiers from WWI, WWII or the Korean War, but we also have a generation of young veterans among us who deserve our thanks and need our support. Unlike Remembrance Day, where we tend to pay tribute to the fallen, the Canadian Walk for Veterans is an opportunity to walk shoulder to shoulder with veterans and thank them while they are still among us.”

Information about the 2022 Canadian Walk for Veterans and registration details for each city can be found at www.canadianwalkforveterans.com.

Image supplied by Marc Burchell / Canadian Walk for Veterans 2019 event.

by Laurice Gomes

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Canadian Walk for Veterans to return to Abbotsford

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