Andrew Gough
Andrew Gough is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, serving reservist and police officer. In 2019, he took part in a campaign within his police service that challenged the stigma of mental health challenges. The ‘Stronger than you know’ campaign shared his and others' stories of mental health struggles to combat the idea that these challenges are a sign of weakness. Through his experiences, he learned that asking for help is a sign of true strength. He received the Sacrifice Medal for injuries sustained by hostile action/act of terrorism while deployed in Tripoli, Libya during Operation LOBE in 2014. These injuries, along with a career of being exposed to and involved in dangerous and traumatic situations, let to his diagnosis of PTSD in 2015. He is also a mental health advocate and was named the 2019 Canadian Mental Health Association Middlesex “Champion of Mental Health” for his work and openness to share his story of injury and recovery as an emergency services member. Mr. Gough remains an active member of the Canadian Armed Forces as a Platoon Commander and holds the rank of Sergeant as a police officer.
Riggs
A service dog extraordinaire, Riggs helps Andrew live a full and productive life. A white German Shephard born in 2015, Riggs is specially trained to pick up on displayed signs of stress and provide physical cues to Andrew to help control moods and response. In addition to that, and his wide array of ever-changing neck bandanas, Riggs has the uncanny ability to always smile for the camera.
Greg Wing
Greg Wing is a thirteen year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces having served as a Land Weapons Technician with two tours to Afghanistan in 2003 and 2006.
He is a public relations specialist dedicated to supporting mental health initiatives and awareness.
Elizabeth Gough
Elizabeth Gough is at her husband’s side and greatest support as they both work to help veterans and everyday heroes. She is an experienced policy professional in the human services sector. Skilled in strategic leadership, policy development, analytics, project management and community planning, she is focused on developing high performance systems with meaningful outcomes. Outside of her work life, she is a dedicated community volunteer and leader on a number of initiatives dedicated to sport and women’s causes.
Corey Hatt
Corey Hatt is the owner/operator of Mad Hatter Industries. His personal mission is to raise mental health awareness and prevent any more suicides from happening in our communities. “Mental health impacts us all, not just the person affected by it. Whatever issues people are dealing with, I want them to always know that they aren't alone. There is a community here that will always support you.”
