Sgt. Rob Nederlof and his wife Marina received a warm welcome from Westman’s Royal Canadian Legions when they made an evening stop on their cycling tour in Elkhorn. Nederlof is cycling from Saskatoon to Kenora to raise support for the Wounded Warriors PTSD Service Dog program.
Elkhorn Royal Canadian Legion Branch #58 hosted the welcome for the Nederlofs, providing a roast beef supper and all the trimmings.
“Elkhorn was amazing,” says Marina. “The dinner was fabulous, and the reception was friendly and extremely supportive… we met a lot of people that evening.”
Margaret James, the Elkhorn Legion treasurer, got busy when she realized the Nederlofs’ Prairie Thousand ride was going to stop in Elkhorn on Monday evening, Aug. 14. A greeting at the legion was in order and that included a meal.
Plans grew and the meal became a fundraiser supper. The invitation was extended to surrounding legions and to the public. “I felt this was too important to pass up,” says James. “Working with the Branch, we were able to do something for him.”
Elkhorn firefighters with the Wallace District Fire Department were invited guests. “We had them as our guests because the Wounded Warriors (services) covers first responders like fire departments and police. We just thought it was important to be able to invite them in and meet this gentleman and find out more of what he does,” said James.
Virden, Birtle and Kenton Legions were represented. Kenton Legion president Vaughn Wilson was accompanied by Woodworth firefighter and military veteran Master Corporal (ret.) Matthew Williams.
With the visit scheduled for a weekday, James felt Elkhorn Legion needed back-up for meal preparations. She invited help from Tracy Pappel, Virden Legion Ladies Auxiliary President. And the Virden auxiliary stepped up.
“She's absolutely phenomenal,” said James of Pappel’s assistance. “She's done enough catering; she knows what needs to be done. And once she found out where things were in the kitchen, she was off and running.”
Besides the meal tickets and donations toward the supper, the event raised $2,495.45 for Prairie Thousand and the service dog program.
The Nederlofs were encouraged: “Thank you, Margaret and the entire crew for being a huge supporter of The Prairie Thousand!”
Wounded Warriors trek passes through Virden
After their overnight stop in Elkhorn, The Prairie Thousand a 1,000-kilometre bicycle excursion by Sgt. Rob Nederlof made Virden one of their stops en route to Carberry.
“We’re doing this for Wounded Warriors Canada…their support dog program,” said Marina during a brief stop in Virden early on August 15. “PTSD support dogs are expensive ($15-$18,000 to train one), and the program is so effective. For severe sufferers, it is one of the most effective ways to get them back into society and back into what we would deem normal life. We consider every dog that is trained and gets to a person – a first responder or veteran with PTSD – that’s a life saved.”
“I’ve been in the military for almost 25 years,” said Rob. “I’ve seen a lot of people with PTSD. I’ve seen a lot of service dogs help people with PTSD. The dog will be able to sense if the owner is having a breakdown and help him or her get out of the situation he or she is in,” he said. “It’s just like a regular pet, except it’s a working dog, and the animal will be able to queue on the owner’s mannerisms.”
Marina added that the animal-human bond is very strong.
“It gives the person that’s suffering a purpose,” she said. “It gives them a focus other than what they are going through. It’s almost like a distraction from the PTSD.”
Funds raised will go towards the training of service dogs and matching them up with injured veterans and first responders afflicted with PTSD.
Marina noted that one change this year is that an anonymous donor has signed on to match all donations up to $50,000. Rob’s goal is to raise $10,000 from his journey and had about $4,000 by the time he reached Virden.
Donations may be made through the website www.prairiethousand.com or www.facebook.com/PrairieThousand/
