The Steinbach Legion is dipping into its Poppy Fund to provide mobility aids to a veteran living in Vita.
President Bill Richards says the Legion was notified by an occupational therapist that a lift chair and motorized scooter would greatly improve the quality of life for Wayne Malmsten.
“This gentleman, up until Saturday, was actually using an old lazy boy chair on pieces of two by four,” Richards reports.
That chair broke this past weekend, and Malmsten was presented with a new lift chair that same day.
“It was a very moving moment, actually,” Richards says. “I can't stress it enough, thanks to the kindhearted people in the Southeast who donate money to our poppy campaign every year. This is another example of where this money goes.”
Richards explains that Veterans Affairs Canada was unable to help Malmsten to the extent they would have liked due to the inability to prove that his mobility challenges are duty related.
This is where the Poppy Fund can help.
“The Steinbach area has been very, very, very generous in their support of the Legion at Remembrance time,” says Richards. “The donations that folks make in the Southeast towards the Poppy Fund are incredible. This year, we managed to raise over $20,000 from the donations to the Poppy Fund. That's an incredible amount of money and far exceeds most of the Legions in the province, and we are such a small group. But it's the generosity of the people here that have made this happen.”
The Legion is now working on finding a suitable motorized scooter for Malmsten.
Richards notes donations are accepted throughout the year for the Poppy Fund. You can find more details at www.legion.ca or by contacting the local branch.