Boomer’s Legacy

HMCS WINNIPEG – Sri Lanka

On 23 May 17, members of WINNIPEG, in support of its mission, set out to establish Community Relations in Sri Lanka with the Courage, Compassion, and Commitment (CCC) Foundation.

On 23 May 17, members of WINNIPEG, in support of its mission, set out to establish Community Relations in Sri Lanka with the Courage, Compassion, and Commitment (CCC) Foundation. The CCC Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that was founded in 2003 by Jetha Devapura, a Sri Lankan born Australian. After recognizing a desperate need among a community of children battling cancer in Sri Lanka, Jetha, along with a team of dedicated CCC volunteers in both Sri Lanka and Australia, raised funds to build the CCC house. The CCC house can be compared to Canada’s Ronald MacDonald house.  It is the largest transition home in Sri Lanka with 194 beds that serves as a home away from home for outpatients and their caregivers.

To celebrate the great work of the CCC foundation, members of WINNIPEG collaborated with Boomer’s Legacy to provide a donation of $5000. The donation will be used for much needed renovations to further improve the lives of children and adults fighting cancer. As important as monetary donations are, in the spirit of Cpl Andrew “Boomer” Eykelenboom, WINNIPEG wanted to give more to the children.  Thirteen members of the ship’s company were eager to spend quality time with the children and their caregivers.

“We had an unforgettable time with the children coloring pictures, playing with Play-Doh, and teaching them how to make bracelets”, says LS Klarck Montemayor.  LS Montemayor donated the Play-Doh was donated by and the bracelets were made with gun line patterned after the lanyards many sailors attach to their knives.