The Wayfinders Wellness Society has expanded its annual Sweat for a Vet Boot Camp, set for Nov. 6, to help raise funds to support services it provides veterans and first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
WWS has set a $15,000 fundraising goal and is looking for teams to help raise funds by participating in a friendly competition for prizes. It's a way to ensure they can continue to offer their programs free of charge to veterans, first responders, and their families.
Sweat for a Vet is a free boot camp-style workout designed by Stephanie Marrello, SLS Centre fitness programs coordinator.
"People can register as teams or individuals," says Paul Wagman, WWS founder and executive director of operations. "The whole idea is to support veterans and the sacrifices they made for our country and to fundraise for the programs that we offer at Wayfinders."
You don't need to consider it a timed competition to participate, he says. It's just one of the options.
"People can take their time going through it so that it's not too difficult for people to do. It's typically a combination of a variety of different moving events, lapses around the gym, jumping jacks, push-ups, and things like that to really Sweat for a Vet."
It also continues to be a family-friendly event.
Over the past year, over 1,400 people were assisted by Wayfinders.
"And that's first responders like sheriffs, corrections, police, fire, EMS dispatchers," says Wagman. "There's such a need for that, and there's a need for individual peer support as well as group peer support."
He says quite often when people are injured, they don't know how to access help.
"They don't know how to navigate their PTSD injury, so at Wayfinders we reassure them that we can refer them to the resources and the partnerships that we've made navigating the journey on our own so that they can make their journey in a much easier way."
Wagman says several sponsors, including Bowest Appliances, have stepped up to help make the event possible and more are welcomed.
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Wayfinders is planning to resume its march in conjunction with the boot camp that wasn't held last year. He says they are redesigning and shortening the route.
"Last year, we didn't have the march, but we're anticipating there might be larger numbers this year because we've got members of the RCMP, local, fire department, and EMS Citizens Action Group who are interested in attending and signing up for the event."
More information on how to register and donate is available at the SLS Centre and through WWS's social media.
