Legion sets new record for annual poppy drive
This year’s record-setting poppy campaign in support of veterans and their families undertaken by the Kelowna branch of the Royal Canadian Legion netted $184,209.65.
Nine cents of which came in an increasingly rare currency.
“We did have nine pennies put into the collection boxes,” campaign chairman John Cashin said Sunday.
But along with a handful of the fast-disappearing lowly one-cent pieces were enough silver coins, loonies, toonies and paper bills to set a new poppy campaign record.
The previous high came three years ago, when $176,000 was collected, the donations spurred that year by national grief at the slaying of a unarmed peacekeeper as he stood guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
The Kelowna poppy drive got off to a slow start last month due to a shortage of people willing to hold donation boxes outside busy stores and at shopping centres.
But a well-publicized mid-campaign appeal for more volunteers had the desired effect, Cashin said.
“After the word went out we needed extra help, our volunteer corps basically doubled,” he said.
The Mission Park mall was the top collection point, with $14,418 in donations, followed by Orchard Park mall at $11,522 and Dilworth Plaza at $9,755. Of the total, $51,700 came from the business campaign, also a new record.
A meeting will be held at the legion this Thursday to begin the process of divvying up the campaign funds.
Specific allocations vary annually, but last year direct assistance to veterans totalled $32,000. The money was used for such things as hospital comforts, in-home sup- ports such as tub rails, and for 24hour health monitoring services.
Another $18,000 was given to the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, $9,000 to the BC Cancer Foundation and $10,000 to Kelowna Hospice.
The local legion also provided $50,000 in $1,000 scholarships to the children and grandchildren of veterans, most of them being recently graduated high school students moving on to college or university.
After filling out an application form, each applicant was interviewed in person by legion officials at the downtown Kelowna branch.
“We like to have that personal contact with the young people,” Cashin said.
Under strict rules set by the Dominion Legion command, none of the money from the poppy campaign can be put toward any expenses of local legion branches.
“We can’t even use any of the money for things like the sound system we have to rent for the Remembrance Day service in City Park,” Cashin said.