Home for a Hero

[Munner]

I'm passing along some information on a fundraising project taking place in Sudbury to help out a fellow soldier who was severly injured in Afghanistan.

Mods - if this post is in the wrong area of the forums I apologize. Feel free to move it!

Home For a Hero

Cpl Bill Kerr joined the Irish Regiment of Canada in 2003.  In 2005 he volunteered for a tour in Afghanistan and after deploying in 2006, returned to Sudbury in the spring of 2007. Shortly after his return to Sudbury, he volunteered again to deploy overseas, and began his pre-deployment training before the Afghan sand was out of his kit.

After deploying again in September 2008, he was critically wounded while on foot patrol by a remote detonated improvised explosive device on October 15th 2008. He was evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany, and then on to hospital in Ottawa, where he has been living and recovering since.

The injuries Bill sustained will leave him with the distinction of being Canada’s only Afghanistan veteran triple-amputee, having lost both his legs and his left arm.  As can be expected with these injuries, Bill needs a home that is fully wheelchair accessible.

Since his injuries, Bill Kerr’s friends and family have begun the "Home for a Hero" fundraising drive, designed to help with the expense of building an accessible home for Bill and his family.

Bill has two daughters, and is getting married this August to fiancée Tracy.  He is intending to walk his new wife down the aisle on his new legs.

Please visit:
http://www.homeforahero.ca

 

[X-mo-1979]

This is a great idea.And a great cause.

However doesn't DVA or the VF cover this stuff?

If not... can see a media explosion!

 

[Munner]

I can't speak accurately to the extent that the DVA or VF have been involved since the incident so I won't comment on that.

I do know however that there is a need for this house, and there is a need fo this fundraising effort!

The project is separate from any government/military organization. We're just friends and family hoping to help out and support Bill.

You're right about the media being on board though. We've had some good publicity here in Sudbury so far, and I think it will only increase as we get closer to the Hwy 69 "Hike for a Hero" event scheduled for October.

 

[Gunner98]

This is a great idea.And a great cause.

However doesn't DVA or the VF cover this stuff?

If not... can see a media explosion!

Veteran's Affairs will not buy the house they will help make it accessible and functional.  If they started buying houses for Vets, there would be a media explosion.

 

[Spanky]

Great cause and a good website.  Cpl Kerr's comment about being grateful for the support and hoping to pay it forward some day?  No need.  He's done enough. 

 

[The Bread Guy]

...from the Sudbury Star (PDF also available here):

A soldier badly hurt in Afghanistan says he and his family are overwhelmed by the community support they've received.

"People have done more than enough for us," Cpl. William (Billy) Kerr said Wednesday. "I personally think that one big fundraiser is more than enough for one soldier. I can't thank everybody enough."

Kerr made the comments during a briefing yesterday to announce final details for Sunday's Hike for a Hero event on a new, four-laned, 20-km stretch of Highway 69 South.

Proceeds from the Hike for a Hero, which begins at 9 a. m. Sunday, will go to the Home for a Hero fundraising campaign that is looking to raise $300,000 to build a wheelchair-accessible home for Kerr, his new wife, Tracy, and his two daughters.

Hike for a Hero organizers hope 1,500 people turn out and $200,000 is raised.

So far, $70,000 has been raised, including $25,000 worth of building materials from Kelly Lake Building Supplies, a Home for a Hero dinner in the spring raised $18,000, and a $3,500 donation from the local pipefitters' union.

Money was also raised through Operation Yellow Ribbon, a Rotary Club of Sudbury initiative.

Dalron Construction has also offered to provide a lot and build the new home for the Kerr family at cost.

"This will be the final fundraiser," said Kerr, in an interview at the press conference at the Homewood Suites ....