Two PEI organizations receive federal funds to improve Veterans’ well-being

News release

Serene View Ranch, Lest We Forget Community Veterans Committee each receive $400,000 from Veterans Affairs Canada

18 January 2022 – Charlottetown – Veterans Affairs Canada

Today, the Honorable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, alongside Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont, announced that Serene View Ranch and Lest We Forget Community Veterans Committee have been awarded funding through the Veteran and Family Well‑Being Fund (VFWF).

Located in Alexandra, PEI, Serene View Ranch will receive $400,000 to develop a stabilization, grounding and resiliency program for Indigenous and women Veterans. The trauma treatment will be both individualized and community-based and will offer a variety of multidisciplinary, and culturally sensitive treatment approaches. Once developed, this program will be shared with mental health clinics across Canada.

The Lest We Forget Community Veterans Committee, based in Summerside, PEI, will also receive $400,000 to improve the economic security of women and LGBTQ2 Veterans in PEI. They will develop  a Veteran Success Centre to support Veterans through entrepreneurship and employability programs, employment support services, translation services, career counselling and mentoring services.

All recipients will use this funding for initiatives that improve the well-being of Veterans and their families. This year, selected organizations are addressing issues affecting Veterans and their families during the post COVID-19 recovery, such as homelessness, retraining, employment, and health challenges, along with supporting equity-seeking groups such as women and LGBTQ2 Veterans. This support is made possible through additional investments in the Veteran and Family Well‑Being Fund in Budget 2021.

Since 2018, the Veteran and Family Well‑Being Fund has provided financial support to private, public and academic organizations striving to improve the lives of Veterans and their families through innovative projects, initiatives and research.

Quotes

”The pandemic has had a real impact on Veterans and their families, but the work that organizations like Serene View and the Lest We Forget Community Veterans Committee are doing is absolutely vital in making sure they have the support they need. I’m incredibly proud that we can support these two excellent PEI organizations, and I know they’re going to change the lives of a lot of Veterans here on the Island.”

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

"The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening support for Veterans. The Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund is a great example of this commitment. I'm so glad we can support these organizations that do so much to improve the lives of Veterans and their families."

Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont

“This grant will allow Serene View Ranch (SVR) to develop two important multidisciplinary trauma treatment day programs for two identified Veteran populations: women Veterans and Indigenous Veterans. Over the next two years, SVR will develop and offer these specialized treatment programs with the hope of creating a model of treatment that can eventually be replicated and offered across Canada.”

Caroline Leblanc, Owner and Founder, Serene View Ranch

“This funding will help to establish the PEI Veterans Success Centre, the first of its kind service in PEI to provide entrepreneurship and employability programs, employment support services, career counseling and mentoring services, customized roadmap services and wraparound services that are designed to meet the unique needs of Island Veterans."

Nancy Beth Guptill, President, Lest We Forget Community Veterans Committee

Quick facts

  • The Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund was first introduced in Budget 2017.

  • Since 2018, the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund has awarded more than $25 million to help 66 organizations across the country improve the lives of Veterans and their families.

  • Budget 2021 provides an additional $15 million over three years, starting this year, to expand and enhance the Fund for projects supporting Veterans during the post‑COVID‑19 recovery, including addressing homelessness, retraining, employment and health challenges, along with supporting women and LGBTQ2 Veterans.

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Contacts

Media Relations
Veterans Affairs Canada
613-992-7468
media@veterans.gc.ca

Cameron McNeill
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
Cameron.McNeill@veterans.gc.ca

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