Submitted by Invermere Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion’s 2023 National Poppy Campaign is officially underway with biodegradable poppies and wreaths and some poignant initiatives to help promote remembrance. They are crafted from a variety of natural materials including paper, cotton velvet, plaster, moss, and bamboo. It will take a few years for residual stock to be depleted, but eventually all poppies and wreaths used during the campaign will be biodegradable.
Poppy stories
The Legion is excited to present “Poppy Stories” again this year. People can visit PoppyStories.ca to scan their lapel poppy with their smartphone. They will then be taken to short personal stories about Canadian veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. This initiative is a way to further build connections with those who serve our country, and help people make more direct links between service, remembrance, and our freedoms.
Invermere
Legion volunteers are placing the well known poppy boxes at businesses throughout the District of Invermere, Windermere, Fairmont and Canal Flats. Business owners in our community always welcome these boxes and are usually the first to donate. On two Saturdays, October 28 and November 4, volunteers will be out in the community for our poppy tag days. You will see them at various locations with their poppy displays.
Remembrance Day
On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour we all stand silent for two minutes to remember and honour those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Saturday, Nov. 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada. The Legion will organize the yearly ceremony at the cenotaphs in Canal Flats, Edgewater and Invermere. The ceremony will be very similar to last year’s and we ask that everyone respect each others choices. The parade will be by invitation and we ask those who would like to lay a wreath to do so when called during the ceremony. We welcome all those who wish to come to the cenotaph on November 11. We are hoping to live stream again on a social media platform.
