Wearing a poppy and making a donation, no matter the size, does make a difference for local veterans and community causes.
Poppy chair Darla Gullons pinned the first poppy on the lapel of Mayor Jeff Genung today (Oct. 25) to kick off the annual poppy campaign of the Cochrane Legion, Men of Vision, Br. 15.
Already, poppies are available at businesses throughout town. Tables will be manned by Legionnaires Monday to Friday from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at various locations, including No Frills, Safeway, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Save-On-Foods and the SLS Centre.
With fewer people carrying cash, the Legion now has five tiptap boxes to accept donations from debit and credit cards at the tables, explains Gullons. They introduced three last year and found them to be a popular addition.
They also continue to utilize over 150 secure poppy boxes to prevent the funds donated from being stolen from countertops. Created here in Cochrane, they were introduced with the assistance of Dan Kroffat and Alex Baum in 2016 and originally manufactured by EGB Manufacturing in Cochrane.
On weekends, local army cadets of the 2512 King's Own Calgary Regiment and air cadets of 952 'WestJet' RCACS will be at major retail stores to distribute poppies and accept donations.
"It's a good opportunity for them to be there so that people can see that we've got a lot of community cooperation and a lot of community interest in becoming part of the military or part of the Legion," she says.
It's important for people to know the money raised stays in the community to aid local veterans and first responders as well as support local causes with particular attention given to youth.
Some veterans, first responders and their families face challenges related to their time in the military.
That includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), something Darla's late husband Keith dealt with for 46 years.
"Before it was really popular to say 'I'm ill" a lot of veterans became involved with drugs, alcohol, divorces--a myriad of things.
Homelessness and foodlessness are a growing issue faced by civilians, and especially veterans.
"We had a member of our executive who lived on the streets for about 10 years after he got out. He had massive heart problems, was in a wheelchair, and had a lot of issues. If it weren't for an intervention by the Legion and the poppy campaign, I'm not sure if he would be alive today, so these are among the things we support."
The Legion has upwards of 50,000 poppies available, and in the ideal world, all of them will find a place on people's lapels.
"Please respect our veterans, go and buy a poppy and make your donation," she says. "It doesn't matter if it's big or small, we love you all."
Mayor Jeff Genung appreciates being the recipient of the first poppy.
"I'm really happy and honoured to be part of this tradition to help kick off the campaign with a splash," says the mayor.
This year's Mayor Genung donated the proceeds of his annual charity golf tournament to the local Legion branch.
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"Every year I've been asked to speak at the cenotaph. It's something that's a very humbling experience. It's hard to find words, it's the hardest speech I have to write and delivery every year, and for good reason. The sacrifice and the work that the Legion does, the cenotaph and all of that, it's an easy cause to give to."
Poppy sales will continue until the Remembrance Day service on Nov. 11.
Poppies should be worn until Nov. 11. Commonly, those attending the local service leave their poppy on the cenotaph immediately following the service.
