The resumption of the poppy campaign honouring our veterans of the armed forces is just a few days away in November.
Veterans, the general public, and members of the legion gathered on Thursday morning in Kelowna, British Columbia, to adorn their poppies for the first time this year, kicking off the fundraising effort for 2022.
“The people in Kelowna who give so much money to the poppy campaign consistently receive it back to support their hospices, homes, hospitals, orphanages for veterans or families, or bursaries.
We value it greatly, said Kelowna Legion president Darlene McCaffery.
The Kelowna Legion has more than 700 members and has benefited greatly from community support, raising more than $850,000 in recent years.
They provide more financial support for poppy charities in British Columbia than many of the legions that band together in Vancouver, according to McCaffery.
The ceremonies this year will also be the first ones to be free of pandemic restrictions.
“It is fully operational. Although we still need a lot of volunteers for the poppies, Terry Kerr, the Kelowna Legion’s poppy campaign coordinator, said that it is much simpler when there aren’t any additional COVID requirements.
Because of her family, Kerr says she does her best to contribute each year.
“I am a veteran because of my father, who was also a veteran. For all the years he served and my uncle,” Kerr said.
Even though many people associate the poppy with World War II veterans, the legion notes that other veterans are also supported by the fundraising efforts.
“Our younger veterans — and I’m saying younger, 60 and under, probably — that have been all over the world fighting and peacekeeping and going into situations that are just terrible, we want to help them keep going and get them back into society,” said McCaffery.
The Legion is anticipating holding its customary cenotaph services as this is the first Remembrance Day without limitations.
The annual Kelowna, British Columbia, Legion poppy campaign begins in 2022.
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