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Arming Frontline Medical Heroes with Life-Saving Respiratory Equipment
Our Story
Since 1946, TB Vets has been supporting the frontlines of respiratory care in BC.
Founded as an initiative to provide employment to WWII Veterans suffering from tuberculosis, TB Vets has grown over the following decades into what it is today: a leading charitable foundation supporting the frontlines of respiratory care in British Columbia and beyond.
The Veterans who were part of the initial employment program in the 1940s have long since retired. However, TB Vets continues to honour them by funding respiratory equipment, research and education. Every year TB Vets Charitable Foundation funds approximately 20 ventilators, provides bursaries to respiratory therapy students, contributes to lung research, and continues to support isolated tuberculosis patients at Vancouver General Hospital’s TB Ward.
Our History and Legacy
100 years ago
After returning from First World War, Veterans suffering from tuberculosis were shunned by governments and society. They joined together, and advocated for rightful benefits, appropriate health care and employment opportunities that were unjustly denied to them. This culminated in the creation of the Tuberculosis Veterans Section (TVS) of The Royal Canadian Legion. An integral part of this process was the establishment of Legion TVS Branch #44 in Vancouver.
77 years ago
In 1945, at the end of WWII, TVS Branch #44 was again called upon to provide support to Veterans suffering from tuberculosis. Effective treatment for TB had still not been found, and these Veterans were struggling to gain employment and social acceptance. And so began the TB Vets Key Tag Program. The Veterans manufactured key tags which were offered to the public as a free community service. If keys were lost, the finder could simply drop them into any mailbox in Canada and the post office would return the keys to TB Vets, who would match the number on the key tag with the number assigned to the owner’s name and return their keys.
45 years ago
Key tag donations were used to support the Veterans and their families. With the development of effective TB treatment in the 1950s, and the improvement in health and social needs of the Veterans, TVS Branch #44 extended its charitable reach and created TB Vets Charitable Foundation in 1977 to support respiratory health in the wider community.
Today
The key tag “lost and found” service is still used today as a major fundraiser, however the Veterans who were part of the initial employment program in the 1940s have long since retired. TB Vets continues to honour them by funding respiratory equipment, research and education. Every year TB Vets Charitable Foundation funds approximately 20 ventilators, provides bursaries to respiratory therapy students, contributes to lung research, and continues to support isolated tuberculosis patients at Vancouver General Hospital’s TB Unit.
Since its inception, TB Vets has given more $15 million in respiratory grants, carrying on the legacy of our founders, those brave men and women who returned from war but had to fight a battle of a different kind – for better healthcare and community acceptance.