Belt Drive Betty's Blog

Providing veterans with disabilities motorcycles and homes

There is an interesting article out of the <a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/news/support-our-troops/290-news-and-information/24652-two-wheels-for-warriors-charity-will-provide-veterans-with-disabilities-custom-designed-motorcycles">US about a group of people who are building motorcycles for disabled veterans.</a> They are starting with two bikes - one will have a sidecar for a vet's service dog and the other will have a cooler incorporated into it as the veteran who will ride it also has multiple sclerosis. 
 
The interesting thing about how this charity drive is being handled is that they are going to corporations instead of the individual rider to raise the funds needed for the first two machines. 
 
Begin Quote: “I’m trying to stay out of the working man’s wallet,” VandenBerg said of the fundraising effort. “Bikers are a bunch of giving people, even if they don’t have the money to give, so I am trying to get bigger corporations to donate to this charity.” End Quote 
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Here in Canada, there is a a group who hope to help find accommodations for homeless veterans and get them the supports they need and deserve.</div>
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The group is called VETS - Veterans Emergency Transition Services (V.E.T.S. Canada)</div>
Here is a little backgrounder on who and what VETS is and does - Since early 2011, Veterans Emergency Transition Services (V.E.T.S. Canada), a volunteer-led, registered charity, has been reaching out to homeless and at-risk military veterans across Canada. We are based in the Halifax-Dartmouth area and in the past year and a half our outreach efforts have helped us identify and assist more than 30 homeless veterans in Halifax and throughout Nova Scotia. We have also helped veterans in other Canadian cities using our growing social network of volunteers. 
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Every week we discover more veterans who have slipped through the cracks, who have not made a successful transition from their military careers to healthy, productive civilian lives. These veterans are living on the street or at-risk of being homeless. They are unemployed and are trying to cope with mental and physical injuries related to their service without adequate health care and other needed community supports.</div>
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They are competing in the AVIVA Community Fund and are semi finalists in the competition - voting begins again on December 3rd.. 
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<a href="http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf13983">http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf13983</a></div>
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 It is my hopes that you will consider voting for this very worthy cause. 
 
The news feeds have been pretty quiet - it is after all that time of year when things slow down a bit unless you are a Hells Angel. 
 
In BC the Hells Angels are under siege and are at risk of loosing their clubhouses to either the <a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/news/law-a-politics/1975-british-columbia/24604-canada-revenue-agency-also-after-bc-hells-angels-assets-read-it-on-global-news-global-bc--canada-revenue-agency-also-after-bc-hells-angels-assets-">Federal </a>or <a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/news/law-a-politics/1975-british-columbia/24574-hells-angels-clubhouses-face-seizure-bc-government-files-suit-against-biker-gangs-east-end-kelowna-chapters-">Provincial</a> governments as both arms of the government are going after them. 
 
Today I owe an apology to Liane Langlois of the Kootenay Rat Raid - apparently I was not supposed to print their sponsorship request letter in this weeks <a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/busted-knuckle-chronicles">Busted Knuckle Chronicles</a> that was emailed out to subscribers yesterday. 
 
According to Langlois, the efforts of the group are not to necessarily increase attendance but to keep the ambiance their attendees have come to appreciate. I had no way of knowing that and had thought that I was supporting them by printing their sponsorship request information. I receive many such letters from groups that do want to increase their attendance and their sponsorship potential.  I was wrong to have assumed that Liane and her group wanted my assistance to garner more sponsors or attendees. Apparently all they wanted was for me to consider being their sponsor. 
 
Again - I apologize if I have caused any harm to the Kootenay Rat Raid, please know that my intentions were to do good, not harm. 
 
As an FYI to all groups who send stuff into me - if you do not want it printed in our <a href="http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/busted-knuckle-chronicles">community newspaper</a> - PLEASE say so in your email - with all of the emails that I deal with every day - your doing that will help me so much than you could ever know! I never want to upset or disappoint people. 
 
I leave you with a few funnies shared with me by friends on Facebook and through emails...laughter, I really need some laughter today.... 
 
 
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And for all you Black Friday Shoppers:</div>
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I hope you all have a great weekend, and for my American friends - don't get hurt while shopping at Black Friday events - K... 
 
Belt Drive Betty 
Editor & Rider 
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Providing veterans with disabilities motorcycles and homes

There is an interesting article out of the US about a group of people who are building motorcycles for disabled veterans. They are starting...

The gift of jobs for Christmas

A gal I know out on Vancouver Island BC - Jenn Geeson, brought to the attention of many, that a fellow rider needed our help. 
 
The man - <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/179695421.html?c=y&curSection=%2Fokanagan_similkameen%2Fkelownabuzz&curTitle=BC+News&bc09=true">Denis "Mountain Man" Pilon lost his place of business to fire.</a> Sadly, because of the extreme cost of insurance, the building and it's contents were not insured. Inside that building was his classic Harley, and it's insurance had expired three days before the fire. 
 
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So in essence, he lost everything that allows him to employ 12 people, many of whom are at risk youth. 
 
Now, Denis is one of those people, who is constantly giving to others. 
 
He and his employees have played Santa to many in the Cowichan Lake region, he is always ready to help others and Jen wanted to find a way to give back to this man for all of his kindness to others... 
 
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She started a <a href="https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/5OEEd?psid=8517e07993ad475ebefc391b6db0777d">fundraiser to help him.</a> </div>
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It was started yesterday and so far, that fundraiser has netted $680 + some tools. 
 
She is also asking for donations like gift cards to Rona, Home Depot, Home Hardware, carpentry tools and the like. </div>
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You can send those donations to:</div>
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Mountain Man Fundraiser CO of Jenn Geeson 
4870 Homestead Way 
Ladysmith, BC V9G 1H1 
 
I was touched by this story, partially because I know Jen, but also because Mountain Man's generosity is known to me. I called Mountain Man and I asked him about his employees and what we could do to help them with Christmas right around the corner. 
 
He told me, through a teary voice, that his employees lost all of their gear for work in the fire. 
He told me that one employee had recently lost his wife in a pedestrian/vehicle accident. 
 
The man was in such pain - not because of what he lost, but because of what they lost.</div>
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He was in the process of building a new place of business - he was building as he could afford to and therefore not in any great hurry, but now there is a huge sense of urgency. 
 
With no way to take on jobs he has no way to pay people, with no insurance he has no way to replace the tools and equipment needed to take on jobs. 
 
I wanted to do something for his employees, but what...all of a sudden this idea hit me... 
 
I want you - everyone who reads this blog, every Canadian, regardless of where you live, to send me your Canadian Tire Money. </div>
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With your $3, $5, $10 in Canadian Tire money, we can then get the employees their carpenters hand tools, work belts, rain gear etc...and I have approached Canadian Tire to allow us to use that money at Mark's Work Wear House to get work boots etc. 
 
If you shop at Mark's, you know they often give $5 and $10 gift cards as a thank you - we can use those too... 
 
Don't look at the little bit of Canadian Tire money and think that it's not enough... 
 
Remember the wise words of Mother Teresa - “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” 
 
If we all give just a little bit, soon we will have amassed enough that Mountain Man and his employees will all be back at work...so this Christmas - let's give the gift of jobs... 
 
If you can help out financially - <a href="https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/5OEEd?psid=8517e07993ad475ebefc391b6db0777d">please donate to Jenn's fundraiser</a>... 
 
If you can help out with carpentry tools, gift cards for Home Depot, Rona, Home Hardware etc please send them to: 
 
Mountain Man Fundraiser CO of Jenn Geeson 
4870 Homestead Way 
Ladysmith, BC V9G 1H1 
 
If you can help out with Canadian Tire money or Mark's gift cards, please send them to me: 
Belt Drive Betty Media 
10908-102 St 
Grande Prairie AB T8V 2X3 
 
I leave you with some funnies to start your Monday off on the right note...thanks to my zany, crazy Facebook friends and those who send me these via Emails...YOU ARE THE BEST!</div>
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Have a fabulous Monday everyone,</div>
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Belt Drive Betty</div>
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Editor & Rider 
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