Sundre's annual Poppy Campaign to honour Canada's military heroes on Remembrance Day is well underway and organizers have so far received commitments from 52 businesses and organizations for donations to help veterans.
As well, at least 32 of the donors have also purchased wreaths to lay at the cenotaph at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 223 on Nov. 11.
Marie Coderre, 75, whose late husband Thomas was an army veteran, is this year's Poppy Campaign chairperson. Prior to moving to Sundre three years ago from Chalk River, Ont., she was a Poppy Campaign chairperson at an Ontario legion branch from 1984 to 1987. Last year, she served as the secretary of the Sundre branch.
“The legion in Sundre is awesome because everything is volunteered,” said Coderre.
She said there is no specific financial goal with this year's local campaign but she hopes citizens in Sundre will give generously to help local veterans.
“We have given away thousands in the last couple of months,” said Coderre, noting $4,000 was donated just last month to the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre for the purchase of a new heart monitor. “We can only use the funds to help veterans and their families and one of the biggest donors is the Sundre hospital.”
Coderre, who began this year's Poppy Campaign on Sept. 17, said a total of 10 volunteers are helping for this year's campaign and Nov. 11 commemoration. They have been split up to work in five defined areas of town. She said volunteers are asking businesses to put out trays of poppies, which will be made available to the public on Oct. 26, after Gov. Gen. David Lloyd Johnston has formally received his poppy.
The Poppy Campaign leads into this year's Remembrance Day ceremony at the Sundre Legion, which has a maximum capacity for 200 people. Coderre said the ceremony, which will include the laying of the wreaths, will begin at about 10 a.m.
“It is keeping them (veterans) in our memory,” said Coderre of the importance of the Poppy Campaign for the Nov. 11 commemoration. “We feel we should continue our commitment to veterans who made the sacrifices they did.”
The annual Poppy Campaign is the major source of funding for the Royal Canadian Legion to fulfill its mission to serve veterans and their dependants and to promote Remembrance Day in communities throughout Canada.
The lapel poppies that are worn throughout Canada were first made by disabled veterans in 1922.
Production of the poppies is now done by a private company but all operations and promotion for the annual Remembrance Day commemorations are under legion control.
