Athletes use star power to support veterans
Two star athletes have joined forces to shine a spotlight on a group they feel is much more deserving of attention.
Calgary netminder Brian Elliott and retired long snapper Chris Cvetkovic of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers each sponsor programs for veterans. On March 8, they met at the Saddledome to talk about their emotional experiences with members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
“It’s been awesome so far, getting to know people after the games, when the guys come down. It’s really been emotional (for them), sometimes after getting a standing ovation in front of 20,000 people. They don’t get that and they should. It’s awesome to be a part of,” said Elliott, who, along with his wife, Amanda, started Moose’s Troops to host two veterans at 15 home games this season.
Elliott said the program is a perfect fit for him as he has deep ties to the military. His grandfather was in the military, two in-laws served and his wife, now retired, was an intelligence officer in the U.S. air force.
“I got to be the family at home waiting, and not having too much communication and not really knowing things. You see it firsthand and I think it helps, when we play a game for a living, that you see what people sacrifice out there. It doesn’t go unnoticed, but it should get a little more noticed than it does.”
Cvetkovic also lived in the limelight during a 10-year career with the Bombers. He, too, saw it almost as a duty to use his public profile to help others in need.
“When you start to see people who have given so much, who look like us but are broken, it didn’t sit well with me. If I can use my status as an athlete, as well as many of my friends who lend their face and voice to it, why not?”
Cvetkovic has a special affinity for animals, having once convinced other athletes to help adopt stray dogs from a clinic in Mexico. He founded Cvet’s Pets in 2012 and has partnered with the Canadian Legacy Project to defray the costs of owning a service dog for veterans and first responders with PTSD. He provides free kits with kennels, crates, bowls and chew toys, while the project raises funds and accepts donations to pay for dog food.
He says the dogs make a huge impact.
“I see it as almost 100 per cent success rate. It’s amazing. These guys are getting their lives back. The dogs are forcing them to get out of their house. ... The dogs are able to do behavioural intervention, wake them from their nightmares, help them when their stress levels are here versus getting to that point,” said Cvetkovic.
“It’s actually a remarkable thing to watch. It’s a beautiful thing, really.”
Like Elliott, Cvetkovic said it’s been a privilege to get to know some veterans and gain insight into the horrors they experienced in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.
“Once you develop a friendship, they’re the ones who are able to open up to you. So a lot of people may not be comfortable talking about a lot of things they went through, but I have a better understanding and a better education. They’ve allowed me in.”
Although the world of pro sports isn’t that big in Canada, the two men had never met until the Canadian Legacy Project brought them together.
Advocating for veterans, the Legacy Project is involved in a variety of programs including Calgary’s Field of Crosses and Veterans’ Food Drive, which Dave Howard began 11 years ago after visiting his grandfather.
Struggling financially, the senior was eating dog food.
“That was a tough moment,” said Howard, president and founder of the Canadian Legacy Project.
“Sadly, we have thousands of vets transitioning and they’re having a hard time, and we work with them to give them the support they need.
“So you can see we have a couple of heroes here in (Chris) and Brian, the same as our veterans.”