CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Homes For Heroes Foundation (H4HF) is extremely pleased to announce that Mr. David Johnston CC and Mrs. Sharon Johnston CC have become the charity’s first Honorary Patrons. For many years the former Vice Regal couple have been closely associated with members and Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces. Mrs. Johnston was appointed Honorary Captain (Navy) for Military Personnel Command in 2016 and Mr. David Johnston recently completed his service as Colonel-of-The-Regiment for The Royal Canadian Regiment. Joining Homes For Heroes Foundation as Patrons continues the Johnson’s legacy of support to Canada.
As a national charity, Homes For Heroes Foundation provides a caring and comprehensive solution to homelessness among Canada’s Veterans. To do so, it is building unique and affordable urban villages to house Veterans during their transition back to civilian life; providing full-service, wrap-around programming that delivers the resources, training, and counselling necessary to ensure their success on this journey; enabling the tenants to achieve the goal of living independently in the long term.
Noted Mr. Johnston, “What caught our eye is the fact that Homes For Heroes Foundation has developed such an innovative and successful approach to helping our Veterans. It follows a carefully laid out program that takes them from living rough to successful reintegration as proud and productive citizens.”
“Sadly, some of our Veterans have been left behind and need our support. Despite their dire circumstances, they are often too proud to seek assistance from the public or even their close friends because of the embarrassment they feel at their situation. So, they remain invisible to most of us,” stated Mrs. Sharon Johnson.
“It is a truly a great honor to have David and Sharon Johnston agree to support our charity. Their patronage will help us reach our goal of ending homelessness among our Veterans. The problem won’t be solved by governments alone. It will take the support of individuals, private foundations, and corporations, as well as the active backing of outstanding leaders like the Johnstons. Our Veterans stood on guard for Canada and now it is our job to ensure that they are taken care of in their time of need,” stated David Howard, CEO, Homes For Heroes Foundation.
Homes For Heroes opened its first Veterans’ Village in Calgary on November 1, 2019, and fifteen Veterans were able to get off the street, to be warm and safe, to take care of their personal needs and have a secure place to keep their belongings – to begin the journey back into mainstream society. Since opening, eight of the initial fifteen tenants have graduated from the program.
The organization started construction on its next Village of twenty homes in Edmonton at the beginning of April. Once completed this November it will provide over 7,000 bed-nights per year for Veterans-in-need.
Homes For Heroes is now expanding its program to a national level, with Villages being prepared for Kingston, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Their goal is to build one or more Veterans’ Villages in every major city in the country.
Mark Hutchings, the Chair of the H4H Kingston Village initiative, added, “We could not have asked for better champions than Sharon and David. They have such a depth of understanding about this country along with an enduring commitment to our military community. Their support is a huge encouragement for our whole team, and they will be a beacon for others to join us in this important task.”
The Right Honourable David Johnston was Canada’s 28th governor general. During his mandate, he established the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), a registered charity that supports and amplifies the Office of the Governor General in its work to connect, honour and inspire Canadians. Today, he is actively involved as Chair of the RHF Board of Directors. In 2018, he was appointed Colonel to the Royal Canadian Regiment. Prior to his installation as governor general, Mr. Johnston was a professor of law for 45 years, and served as President of the University of Waterloo for two terms, Principal of McGill University for 3 terms. He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec. He was the first non-U.S. citizen to be elected chair at Harvard University’s Board of Overseers from which he graduated in 1963 magna cum laude and was twice named all-American in hockey and was named to Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge and Queen’s and has received more than three dozen honorary degrees or fellowships. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 books. He was named Companion of the Order of Canada in 1997. He has chaired or served on many provincial and federal task forces and committees and has served on the boards of more than a dozen public companies. He has been married for 57 years to Sharon and they have 5 daughters and 14 grandchildren.
Sharon Johnston graduated in Physical and Occupational Therapy in 1966 from the University of Toronto and some years later obtained her Doctorate in Rehabilitation Science from McGill University.
Sharon’s early career was as a psychiatric occupational therapist working with children and young adults until the birth of her five daughters.
As the wife of the 28th Governor General, she used her position to advocate for mental health awareness and the importance of anti-stigma programs. As an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission she has advocated for our indigenous Canadians. For twelve years she managed a dressage training centre near Waterloo, Ontario before moving to Ottawa.
Sharon is writing a trilogy of historical fiction. The first novel, Matron and Madams, published in 2015, a fictional account of life in southwestern Alberta during a colourful, post-Great War era, based on her grandmother’s experiences. Patchwork Society was released in March of 2020 and is set in Sault Ste-Marie.
Media Contacts
David Howard
CEO
Homes For Heroes Foundation
dave@h4hf.ca
(403) 620-4255
Kelly-Ann Benoit
Special Assistant to the Right Honourable David Johnston
(613) 818-3353
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/393a0aa5-202e-40d0-9ede-9230f39d5ce6
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b4b6a141-60c6-4112-a355-d0efa2584d2e
