Surrey man wants to help both Ukraine and Canada through new fund
Published 11:00 pm Monday, June 22, 2026
A Cloverdale man is looking for support.
Will Rogers, a retired paramedic, has opened an investment fund to help both Canada and Ukraine. Called the Canadian Ukraine Economic Defence Fund (CUEDF), the idea for the fund has been in the back of his mind since the summer of 2024, but he didn’t really get things in place until 2025. Now, he’s hoping Canadians can help get the fund rolling.
Four years ago, Rogers started traveling to Ukraine to deliver humanitarian aid and medical supplies with Frontline Medics, a California-based group operating in various regions of Ukraine. He was helping in the medical support area, driving civilians and wounded soldiers from close to the front back to hospitals and train stations.
“I have been (to Ukraine) five times now,” Rogers told the Cloverdale Reporter. “I have personally invested over $110,000 of my own money into supporting Ukraine.”
He’s now on a quest to make funding support for Ukraine permanent. He recently sold his house and invested the proceeds in CUEDF.
“Several things happened that made me realize I couldn’t keep making one-time donations,” Rogers explained. “The last time I was overseas, one of my fellow volunteer medics had been killed the day before I arrived. She was the fourth medic to be killed with (Frontline Medics).”
He said in another incident, a medic’s body blocked a blast from an anti-tank missile that hit their ambulance. In death, the medic saved the lives of two others. Rogers said he had ridden in that same ambulance four months earlier.
“Those moments are why I could not just keep sending one-time donations,” he added. “I want to build a fund that will last.”
Rogers said CUEDF is an investment fund opened with Rothdale Pacific Wealth Management.
He’s asking Canadians for $100 each to get the fund off the ground. No contributions from the general public will be spent on anything, just invested.
“Only the returns are used to support Ukraine with Canadian products and services,” he noted. “The fund itself is never depleted. The donated money is frozen in the investment account forever. The only money that’s spent is the money it earns.”
“And all the money is spent here for products to go over there.”
Money will be spent on “defence assistance” and humanitarian support using Canadian products and services.
Rogers said he’s got the fund set up to move in four phases. Phase 1, he’s asking for a hundred bucks from 200,000 Canadians. Phase 2, he’s asking for $1,000 from each Canadian. He hopes to raise $41 billion in Phase 2. For Phase 3, he’ll appeal to folks across North America. Phase 4 will be an international effort.
He noted CUEDF is not a registered charity yet. He’s looking at different ways to set it up so it can eventually offer tax-deductable donations to supporters.
Although inspired by, and started for, Ukraine, he said the fund won’t just be about The Breadbasket of Europe.
“This is about building something that eventually comes home,” Rogers explained. “The fund supports Ukraine today, but when the war is over, those earnings will be redirected back to Canada for the projects we know we need but nobody has the will to fund—things like education, infrastructure, and social programs.”
He said CUEDF offers Canadians a way to help out even for those who don’t know how to get involved themselves.
“I talk to Canadians all the time who want to do something about what is happening over there but don’t know how,” he said. “This is how. It’s a win for Canada, a win for Ukraine, and a win for the future of Canadians.”
For more info on Rogers, his visits to Ukraine, his new fund, or on how to donate, visit cuedf.ca.