MOOSOMIN — A military mechanic from Canadian Forces Base Shilo, MB, Sergeant Rob Nederlof, is cycling 1,000 kilometres across the Prairies to raise funds for the Wounded Warriors PTSD Service Dog program.
This is Nederlof’s third consecutive summer for raising awareness about mental health issues of veterans and EMS workers, while raising money to help fund the support dog program, through his bicycle ride across Canada.
Nederlof plans to leave Saskatoon on Aug. 11, and scheduled to arrive in Kenora, Ontario by Aug. 19.
“I’m doing this because I want to raise awareness and funds for the Wounded Warriors PTSD support dog program,” said Nederlof.
“I’ve had a lot of friends with PTSD on the military side, as well as first line responders, and having a support dog helps them cope with life after their traumatic experiences.”
Throughout his journey, Nerderlof said he hopes to catch peoples attention and make people more aware about the cause.
“The more awareness the better, but I also want to help raise funds for training support dogs, that’s basically what our goal is,” he said.
“It costs $15,000 to $17,000 for a dog, which is a lot of money, but if we can help get the funds together to raise money for at least one support dog, then we’re saving a life, whether it’s a veteran or even a first responder.
“Because it’s through Wounded Warriors they deal with military as well as first responders, police, firefighters, ambulance, and so on.”
Plans to pass Moosomin on Aug. 14
Nederlof will be passing Moosomin on either August 14 or 15, as he plans to be in Shilo, MB for August 15.
“I’m not too sure yet when I’ll be by Moosomin, I think it’s the 14th,” he said.
“If you go on our Facebook page: The Prairie Thousand, you’ll see the breakdown of where we’re going to be, not roughly what time, but what day we’ll be there.”
Based on the last two years, Nederlof has raised a total of $53,397, more than his initial goal of raising $12,000 for the Wounded Warriors PTSD Service Dog program.
“This will be my third year in a row. The first year I had a lot of support going through Saskatchewan,” he said.
“Because I went from my place down the number 1 highway, I had a lot of support in Regina, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, it was great.
“Then last year I had a lot of support again coming through. People actually noticed me on the highway, they would stop and talk. It was a really great experience.”
Nederlof spoke about why the PTSD dog support program is dear to him.
“I have my own issues and this is one day of dealing with my them,” he said.
“That’s how I come about helping others in the same situation who just don’t have any outlets or anything like that, so having a support dog helps them.”
People can follow Nederlof’s journey through his website: www.prairiethousand.com or on Facebook at: The Prairie Thousand.
“There’s direct links to the Wounded Warriors website where people can donate to the cause,” he said.
