The Poppy Campaign is the foundation of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Remembrance program.
The campaign provide Canadians with the opportunity to remember with a poppy and participate at Remembrance Day services but buying a poppy goes far beyond the two weeks leading up to Nov. 11 each year.
Canadians are generous when they see our campaign volunteers on the street and the collection trays in the stores, which get underway Friday, Oct. 28. As a result of this generosity, the Legion can ensure that veterans and their families are cared for and treated with the respect they deserve.
The willingness to participate in the poppy campaign is one of the obligations undertaken when someone becomes members of The Royal Canadian Legion. All strive to never forget this solemn duty, and it is part of the debt that owed to those who have gone before.
It is through this campaign and the generosity of Canadians that, in addition to aiding veterans and their families, the Legion fosters the tradition of remembrance amongst our youth, as they are the leaders of tomorrow. Consider the importance of the poppy campaign to our nation.
Some of the funds from the campaign are used for education; grants to students who are veterans, or the families of those whose parents, grandparents or great grandparents served as veterans. While these grants may be awarded at any stage of a college or university program, the use of poppy trust funds for scholarships is strictly prohibited.
These funds also support and encourage cadet units, as they may have assisted the branch with the campaign or other Remebrance activities. These include the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets, and Air Cadets. Funds are also used for support of drop-in centers or other community or facilities that support veterans and the elderly,which may include support of meals on wheels services,provided if these support to known veterans in the community.
The Legion and its members are the Guardians of Remembrance, and the lines from John McCrae’s poem — “… if ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.” — are as true today as when they were first written.
