The Edmonton Police Veterans Assistance Program (VAP) was started in 2006 by very committed EPS retired members led by retired Sergeant Dan Doyle. He recognized there was a need for greater support for both retired and former members of the Edmonton Police Service and their families whose eligibility for professional assistance stopped on conclusion of their employment with the Edmonton Police Service.
Since 2006, this volunteer driven organization has helped numerous individuals in various ways, including but not limited to:
- Facilitating peer support connections
- Providing various quality of life referrals to subject matter experts
- Assisting with hospital visitations that included the sponsorship of parking passes at hospitals in times of illness.
- Facilitating/assisting families with celebration of life for loved ones who have passed during their most vulnerable personal time of need and grief.
- Providing support with activities such as delivering fruit baskets, sending out cards and calling widows and widowers in their time of need.
The VAP is totally dependent on donations for the ongoing costs involved in providing its holistic program of support to affected individuals.
Donors providing financial support to the Edmonton Police Veterans Assistance Program include:
- The Edmonton Police Service
- The Edmonton Police Service Veterans Association
- The Edmonton Police Association
- The Edmonton Police Service Senior Officers Association
- The Edmonton Police Service Sergeants Mess
- The Edmonton Police Service Constables Lounge
- Individual private Donations from both the public and retired employees of the Edmonton Police Service
Additionally, the Edmonton Police Foundation provides arm’s length and administrative assistance that allows the VAP to operate.
To the best of our knowledge, the VAP program is the first police agency in Canada to extend this helping hand to retired and former members and their families. Since its inception, this volunteer driven organization has helped hundreds of clients in various ways including with peer support, mental health referrals and assisting or officiating at more than 70 celebrations of life.