FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MLA Becky Kent to speak at Medric Cousineau’s “Paws Fur Thought” Long Walk kick-off Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia – July 12 2013 – Captain Medric Cousineau (Ret.), a former Air Force Navigator, and his service dog Thai begin their “Paws Fur Thought” Long Walk to Ottawa on Thursday, August 1st to raise awareness and funding for service dogs for veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The goal of the Long Walk is to raise 50 dogs for 50 veterans in 50 days. The kick-off event, scheduled to begin at 8am at MacCormacks Beach (1641 Shore Road), will be hosted by Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage MLA Becky Kent who will speak to the crowd along with Cousineau and Sierra Leone veteran Kim Gingell before a brief send-off march around the boardwalk. In a parade led by the RCMP and flanked by military serving and retired motorcycle clubs and associations, Cousineau and Thai will walk with supporters to the Afghan Memorial Monument at Canadian Forces Base Shearwater. From there, the Long Walk will take him to the Naval Memorial in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, then onward to Canadian Forces Bases and other communities between Nova Scotia and Ottawa, Ontario. A full day of events are planned in Ottawa on the Long Walk’s scheduled end date of September 19th, beginning at Beachwood Memorial Cemetery in the morning, a tour of downtown during the day, and a conclusion to the Long Walk at the National War Museum. Beyond raising awareness and funds, Cousineau wants to demonstrate to the federal government and Veteran’s Affairs the “paws-itive effects” that service dogs have on PTSD sufferers. “Our veterans have put much at stake in service to their country, in many cases sacrificing not only their physical well-being but also their mental well-being,” Kent said. “As a society we can work together to ensure the proper care and rehabilitation of those who have been injured in the line of duty.” Retired Captain Medric “Cous” Cousineau was injured during an offshore helicopter rescue of two injured American fishermen in 1986. He received the Star of Courage for his efforts, but the injuries he sustained during the rescue caused him to have an ongoing battle with PTSD. With the help of the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund, specifically Branch 164 in Eastern Passage, Cousineau was paired with his service dog Thai in August 2012 through the Canine Assistance and Rehabilitation Services Program (CARES) located in Concordia, Kansas. CONTACT : Becky Kent MLA, Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage [email protected] 1490 Main Road, PO Box 152 Eastern Passage, NS, B3G 1M4 902-465-3180
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 19:18:37 +0000
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