Canadian veterans trek 150K for charity

Glen Coyle and Christian Begley walked from Collingwood, Ont., to Toronto to support the Helmets to Hardhats campaign

Photo by: Instagram/theglenc

Ben Snider-McGrath November 11, 2020

Canadian veterans Glen Coyle and Christian Begley recently completed a 150K walk from Collingwood, Ont., to Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, as reported by CTV News. The pair, who served with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, said they were completing the ultra-distance challenge to raise funds for Helmets to Hardhats, a non-profit that helps Canadian veterans transition back to civilian life after returning home. Their fundraising page is still live, and in an Instagram post following their arrival in Toronto, Coyle wrote that they had raised more than $16,000 so far.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHYDyqRFuqT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

On the GoFundMe page for the walk, titled the March for Helmets to Hardhats & Mental Health, it says Coyle and Begley are looking to raise both awareness and funds for the non-profit, which helps veterans “by providing schooling and training in a trade of their choice to get them on their feet running after military life.” Coyle was in the military for 10 years and Begley for 20, and both men served tours in Afghanistan. With these personal experiences, the two men know exactly how difficult the transition from soldier to civilian can be.

“Your whole identity is being a solider,” Begley told CTV. “The military controls every aspect of your life, so when you leave you are kind of lost and you don’t know where to go.” Wanting to schedule their walk close to Remembrance Day, Begley and Coyle started their journey on November 7 at Blue Mountain. Two days later (with stops each night to recover), they arrived in Toronto.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHbDgTOlZTa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Coyle said they wanted to give “Anything that we can … back to veterans, because we know what it is like. It is difficult. In a world of bad things right now it is nice to help out.” Their fundraiser will be open for donations until November 15, and anyone who wants to support Coyle, Begley and Helmets to Hardhats can click here.

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