Calgary, Alberta
Mr. Leonardo is a third generation member of the Canadian military and a peacekeeper who served in the former Yugoslavia in the early nineties. Upon returning home, he thought about Veterans who were on fixed incomes and wondered what he could to do to stretch their pay a little further. He decided to build a website as a support system for Canadian Heroes. Not only would Veterans have access to special offers from the Canadian business community and be able to shop online, but they would also be able to use the website to find friends and engage in dialogue with other Veterans. He sought to raise awareness about Veterans through VeteransofCanada.ca, a private online community where Veterans can connect or reconnect.
Don is no longer active in the military; however, he devotes countless hours and personal funds to support this vision. He has testified before the Parliamentary Subcommittee for Veterans Affairs and he has been an active voice in terms of advocacy for Veterans. He has written policy in an attempt to advocate for a new adjudication system for the processing of injury claims submitted by Veterans.
He was the Executive Chef at the Calgary Dream Centre from 2002 to 2005, where he and his team prepared over 550 000 meals without any funding and using donated food. Don has also volunteered through his church to provide food and clothing to Calgary’s homeless. Don has two children and two grandchildren. His son, now thirty two, has undergone countless brain surgeries. In support of the work being done for his son, Don has volunteered many hours to charitable endeavours that include the Variety Club and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Trucker’s Run for Kids.