Surrey man wants to help both Ukraine and Canada through new fund<\/p>\n
Published 11:00 pm Monday, June 22, 2026<\/p>\n
A Cloverdale man is looking for support.<\/p>\n
Will Rogers, a retired paramedic, has opened an investment fund to help both Canada and Ukraine. Called the Canadian Ukraine Economic Defence Fund<\/a> (CUEDF<\/a>), the idea for the fund has been in the back of his mind since the summer of 2024, but he didn\u2019t really get things in place until 2025. Now, he\u2019s hoping Canadians can help get the fund rolling.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been (to Ukraine) five times now,\u201d Rogers told the Cloverdale Reporter. \u201cI have personally invested over $110,000 of my own money into supporting Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s now on a quest to make funding support for Ukraine permanent. He recently sold his house and invested the proceeds in CUEDF.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral things happened that made me realize I couldn\u2019t keep making one-time donations,\u201d Rogers explained. \u201cThe 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).\u201d<\/p>\n He said in another incident, a medic\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThose moments are why I could not just keep sending one-time donations,\u201d he added. \u201cI want to build a fund that will last.\u201d<\/p>\n Rogers said CUEDF is an investment fund opened with Rothdale Pacific Wealth Management.<\/p>\n He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly the returns are used to support Ukraine with Canadian products and services,\u201d he noted. \u201cThe fund itself is never depleted. The donated money is frozen in the investment account forever. The only money that\u2019s spent is the money it earns.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd all the money is spent here for products to go over there.\u201d<\/p>\n Money will be spent on \u201cdefence assistance\u201d and humanitarian support using Canadian products and services.<\/p>\n Rogers said he\u2019s got the fund set up to move in four phases. Phase 1, he\u2019s asking for a hundred bucks from 200,000 Canadians. Phase 2, he\u2019s asking for $1,000 from each Canadian. He hopes to raise $41 billion in Phase 2. For Phase 3, he\u2019ll appeal to folks across North America. Phase 4 will be an international effort.<\/p>\n He noted CUEDF is not a registered charity yet. He\u2019s looking at different ways to set it up so it can eventually offer tax-deductable donations to supporters.<\/p>\n Although inspired by, and started for, Ukraine, he said the fund won\u2019t just be about The Breadbasket of Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about building something that eventually comes home,\u201d Rogers explained. \u201cThe 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\u2014things like education, infrastructure, and social programs.\u201d<\/p>\n He said CUEDF offers Canadians a way to help out even for those who don\u2019t know how to get involved themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cI talk to Canadians all the time who want to do something about what is happening over there but don\u2019t know how,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is how. It\u2019s a win for Canada, a win for Ukraine, and a win for the future of Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n