Dear Mr. Editor:
Over the last few years of working on the local Legion Benevolent Committee, we have been informed by some of our canvassers that a few Fort Frances charitable donors may have some erroneous information concerning the annual poppy campaign.
Facts from the poppy manual (Chapter 1):
(101). We, as members of the Royal Canadian Legion, strive to keep the memory alive of the 117,000 Canadian men and women who paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of Canada during war and on subsequent operations since Korea.
This goal is achieved through our annual poppy campaign and the Remembrance Day services organized by this great organization throughout the country and by our fellow citizens who are working far from our shores.
(102). The poppy campaign is the foundation of our Remembrance Day program. First, we provide Canadians with the opportunity to remember by providing us the chance to wear a poppy and to participate at the Remembrance Day services.
But, our remembrance activity goes far beyond two weeks leading up to Nov. 11 each year. Canadians are generous when they see our poppy volunteers on the street and the collection box in the stores.
As a result of this generosity, we are able to ensure that veterans and their dependants are cared for and treated with the respect that they deserve.
Second, the willingness to participate in the poppy campaign was one of the obligations we undertook when we became members of the Royal Canadian Legion. All of us must strive to never forget this solemn undertaking—it is part of the debt that we owe to those who have gone before.
Third, it is through the poppy campaign and generosity of our fellow citizens that, in addition to providing assistance to veterans and their dependants, we are able to supply medical equipment for use by all who have a need within our communities.
We also foster the tradition of remembrance among our youth, who are the leaders of tomorrow, by distributing poppies and Remembrance Day learning material, as well as sponsoring the literary and poster contests.
Article’s 401 and 402 are further clarified in the poppy manual with a list of do’s and don’ts. The do’s are quiet clear. The don’ts have a long list of prohibition on spending of the funds.
Poppy trust funds are made available through the generosity of the Canadian public and consequently they are part of the public trust between Canadians and the Legion.
Article 509 (A). Funds are to be deposited as quickly as possible in a poppy trust fund bank account, which is separate from other bank accounts of the Legion branch.
Assistance from the poppy trust fund is given in secrecy to the veterans or dependants by the benevolent committee (not the branch). When funding is available for medical equipment for the communities, the benevolent committee recommends this action at branch meetings.
Some of the donations your local poppy fund has made in the last few years has been to the Rainycrest van, medical equipment for the hospital (roughly $15,000 in 2002), Rainycrest Christmas parties, TVs & VCRs at Rainycrest, and Meals on Wheels.
Occasionally, the national poppy committee will authorize a limited percentage of funds on hand in the form of a donation to a local or national disaster.
Signed,
Ed Haglund
On behalf of the
Benevolent Committee
of Legion Br. #29
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
