'I know what war's all about': 103-year-old B.C. man begins fundraising walk for Ukrainian children
John Hillman, a Second World War veteran living in Oak Bay, B.C., has kicked off his fundraiser for Ukrainian children and families affected by war.
The 103-year-old began his campaign Monday, and plans to walk 103 laps around the courtyard of his independent living centre.
Hillman's scheduled to walk 10 laps around the courtyard every day, and local children are slated to join him on his walks next week.
The centenarian is raising money for the Save The Children charity, with funds going towards Ukrainian children.
"It touched my heart to see those kids being herded away from their homes and without any hope of going back to them," said Hillman on Monday.
"It only amplified my desire to help them," he said.
This is the third year that Hillman has taken on a fundraising walk for Save The Children.
In 2020 and 2021, he walked 101 and 102 laps around his residence for his respective birthdays, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.
Last year, he braved a historic heatwave to continue his walk, when temperatures rose above 30 C in Oak Bay. On Monday, Hillman endured rain.
"The walk was wet," He said. "But I don't mind, I've been in worse weather than that during my service in the wartime."
As of Monday afternoon, Hillman had raised more than $19,500 for Save The Children. He hopes to raise $103,000 this year.
The veteran hopes that Canadians and people around the world will donate to the cause.
"I saw enough war. I served the whole of it," he said.
"I know what war's all about and I know what those kids will be facing. I was only 18 myself when I went."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.