The Selkirk Legion is fundraising for local veterans
The National Poppy Campaign put on by Royal Canadian Legions throughout the country will be starting on Oct. 25 through November 11. Our local branches have already been hard at work planning and getting poppy boxes together which will be out at local businesses and they invite residents to get their poppies to show support for our local veterans.
“We wear poppies to remember the ones that have fallen in wars and wherever they’ve served. The campaign funds are used to help veterans and their families,” explained Selkirk Legion Branch #42 Poppy Campaign Officer Allan Coumont.
The Poppy Campaign is an annual event that not only supports the veterans who have died for our freedom in the past but also shows support for the brave people in all branches of the Canadian Armed Forces whether they are deployed or on Canadian soil.
Donations collected during the Poppy Campaign are held in Trust at the branch level to directly support veterans and their families within their community and to help ensure Canadians ‘Never Forget’. The Poppy is distributed freely to all who wish to wear one, and the Legion gratefully accepts donations to the Poppy Fund.
Coumont explained that our local Poppy Campaign is run by a group of volunteers. These Volunteers take on routes throughout Selkirk so that they can deliver poppy boxes to many local businesses. They also monitor the boxes throughout the campaign period so that they can switch out boxes before they run out of poppies as this campaign is very well received by our community.
If you would like to get your poppy in person, a booth will be open and people will also be taking shifts at Selkirk’s Walmart daily throughout the campaign from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. There they will also have the official black centre pins available which are the only pins that should be worn to secure poppies, though they do ask for a minimum of a $5 donation should you want one to cover the cost of the pin. The Walmart location will also have the machine available so that residents can tap their cards to make a donation.
“There’s also the stickers (that you can wear) rather than the poppies, and there’ll be car poppies there,” said Coumont,
If you would like to get a lawn sign to show your support, they are available at the Selkirk Legion itself.
Coumont feels it’s very important that we show our whole community that we value the contributions that veterans and active service members have made to our community.
“For what they’ve done, they’re going to have some injuries, maybe not physical, maybe mental, they need support,” he said.
The funds being used to support local veterans is also a wonderful way to support our community. In the past, the poppy campaign funds have been used to purchase equipment which veterans and community members use at some of our local care homes. In addition, equipment has been bought to benefit veterans and residents at the Selkirk Hospital. Another project that has taken place was an upgrade to the Selkirk Legion itself so that their bathrooms could be more accessible for veteran members.
Selkirk Legion Branch #42 President John Austin encourages residents to support their local veterans by taking part in the poppy campaign.
“We have to keep the whole world, not just Selkirk, Manitoba, but keep everybody aware of the past and the conflicts that are going on right now in the world. Our veterans we have to support them and never forget their sacrifices,” he said.
He also encourages residents to come to the Remembrance Day Ceremony that will take place, as always at the Selkirk Recreation Complex on November 11.
“Come down and see what exactly what happens, how we pay tribute to our fallen veterans, and not just fallen veterans (all) people that sacrificed and joined the forces to protect us over the years. Once (you) come down there once, I think (you) would come every year,” said Austin.
