The Rolling Barrage PTSD Foundation / The Rolling Barrage – Our History

We are not makers of history. We are made by history.

~ Martin Luther King Jr. 

It always seems impossible, until its done.

~ Nelson Mandela 

If you can dream it, you can do it.

~ Walt Disney 

Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.

~ Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut

In 2016

Scott Casey envisioned an annual cross-Canada motorcycle ride.

The premise was to fight the stigma of PTSD and raise funds for programs or organizations that help CAF members, Veterans, and First Responders (both serving and retired) obtain treatment to live with the mental health injuries they received from their service to Canada and their communities.

The Rolling Barrage would soon be established and planning for the inaugural ride began in early 2017.

The Initial Ride in 2017

Canada and Canadians celebrated the 150th birthday of our nation and also the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where the ride derives its namesake.

Canadians developed the “creeping barrage” tactic for artillery fire. It was the crucial component of the Vimy success.  It is said that Canada was born in that battle, as all 4 divisions fought and declared victory together, when all others had failed.

The Sound of Rumbling Motorcycles

Motorcycles crossing Canada signifies The Rolling Barrage’s memorial to those who have sacrificed for our nation.

After Four Rapidly Developing Years

Scott felt the pressure of this incredible event and realized it was time to pass the mantle of leadership on.  It was not a straightforward decision by any means.

It was the right one, though; he was burning out and needed to shift his focus back to himself, his amazing family, and his many other projects.

In September 2020

Paul Harman (Harm) accepted Scott Casey’s offer to assume the top tier of leadership within The Rolling Barrage.

With the help of some truly talented folks, Harm re-organized TRB into a truly nationally organized event, with a top-down structure, while maintaining Scott’s original dream and grass-roots approach.

In April of 2021

The Board of Directors of Military Minds Inc (MMI) made a tough decision to dissolve the corporation.

In order to maintain the integrity of The Rolling Barrage due to the impact on the ridership, The Rolling Barrage PTSD Foundation was quickly created to carry on the efforts and alignment for the sake of this worthwhile fundraising event.

The Rolling Barrage PTSD Foundation

The organization will experience developing growth between 2020 and 2022. The organization also had to endure much like many charities for a period during the Covid Pandemic where The Rolling Barrage had a ride but within regional bubbles.

They did not celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the ride to the extent planned.

Organizational Tools

Microsoft granting charity access to Teams, Email, and Office software elevated the orgs ability to communicate.

Merchandise was Redesigned

We embraced our mission goals by fully redesigning our merchandise.

Serving in the CAF, a posting, and operating an org like The Rolling Barrage can all add up. With that, Paul made the tough decision to step down from the org in Nov 2022 and officially in February 2023, after a handover to current leadership.

Nov 2022

The Founder of The Rolling Barrage, Scott Casey, spoke at length with Christian Carter, who has had various roles in The Rolling Barrage from planning, ride supporter, safety group, and fundraiser, since 2017. He was asked one question, “what is the most important thing you see that needs to be considered?”

Chris answered instantly, “Your 10th Anniversary. At this point you have all the foundational aspects, but it needs to be built on and out in a big way and public, or your 10th Anniversary will be just another motorcycle ride.”

His answer to some may seem brutal in ways, but he was honest and right.

Board of Directors and Executive 

In November 2022, several new members joined the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors at that point was Scott Casey, Founder and Director and James Gordon, Director and Chief Operations Officer (COO). Elected into the Board was Carola Singer, Director and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Warren Cave, Director and Riding Groups.

In March of 2023, Leslie Atkinson, Co-Founder was elected to the Board of Directors.

Christian Carter was selected as Chief Executive Officer – CEO.

One of the immediate changes Christian established was the removal of the CEO from the Board of Directors and voting rights. “Not required. The ability to do the work I need to do does not require me to be part of the BoD or have voting rights.” 

Website

“Let’s tackle the website. For every nickel we spend, we have to bring back a shiny quarter or more to do what our mission is.”

The website has taken a dramatic shift in that it supports extended information on our organization, Who We Help, Sponsors and The Rolling Barrage – Blog, The Full Pull – Blog and Not Silent – Blog.

Our History 

“Displaying our history is important. A lot of hard work by many in the past has contributed to get us where we are today and where we will go tomorrow and beyond.”

Merchandise Store

24/7 – 365 – The Rolling Barrage PTSD Foundation and The Rolling Barrage are committed to raising funds and a large contributory portion of that comes from our merchandise sales. Our Merchandise Shop is crucial to our continued mission.

Social Media

Promote The Rolling Barrage activities in our blogs and flip those stories onto our Social Media, especially Facebook.

Sponsors

Promote sponsorship of The Rolling Barrage PTSD Foundation / The Rolling Barrage and in turn give our valued Sponsors the recognition they deserve.

The Full Pull and Riders

For 2023, The Rolling Barrage is already breaking previous Full Pull ridership numbers. We are providing information as quickly as possible to all riders via the Website and on Social Media.

“We have a lot of work to do. You (collectively everyone from Sponsors, Supporters, Riders, BoD the Executive, Provincial Reps and Volunteers). We need your help, and in turn, we help.”

“We can’t do it alone.” ~ Christian Carter – CEO