OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). Today's letter is from a member of Branch 34 Poppy Committee on the importance of supporting Remembrance Day.
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November is the time of year when we, at Branch 34 of The Royal Canadian Legion turn our thoughts to remembrance and we renew our pledge “we will remember them.”
For 100 years the poppy has been the recognized symbol of remembrance. Wearing the poppy shows the world that we acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifices made by so many men and women so many years ago. It also helps us to show respect to those who continue to serve.
We, at The Royal Canadian Legion, have taken it upon ourselves to distribute poppies to the public so they can show their support and respect. Our two avenues of distribution are through countertop boxes in area stores and businesses and our annual Tag Days.
Both projects offer people the opportunity to make a donation for a poppy. Our recent tag days on Nov. 5 and 6 involved volunteers at 12 different locations. It involved 168 volunteer hours by “taggers” plus many more who worked inside (some for 10 hours or more each day) coordinating the distribution and counting the receipts. It is a huge endeavour and involves many legion members.
This year we were blessed to be assisted by players of the Orillia Terriers Junior C hockey team. The players showed up in their team jerseys and helped at several locations throughout the city. The young men were respectful and courteous.
Some were there on Friday before an away game and many more on Saturday before their home game. We are incredibly grateful for all of their help and very proud of them. We wish them continued success on the ice (at the time of writing this letter they were sporting a 10-2 record).
It was also nice to see several young people out assisting their grandparents. As we strive to promote the importance of remembrance we say thank you to all our volunteers.
Lastly we want to say thank you to the citizens of Orillia and surrounding area for your donations and show of respect by wearing a poppy. We are amazed by your generosity.
With your help we can continue to support our veterans and their spouses through many projects including bursaries, 'Leave the Streets Behind' and 'Operation Service Dogs.'
Lest We Forget
Kate Palmer
Secretary, Branch 34 Poppy Committee
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