A poppy to remember
Remembrance Day is one of the most meaningful dates on our calendar. The day gives Canadians the opportunity to show their gratitude for those who have offered their service to advocate for our freedom, and there are many ways we can show our appreciation: we can devote a moment of silence at 11 a.m., we can go to a Remembrance Day ceremony, or we can even thank a veteran or Canadian Forces member in person. But the easiest thing that absolutely anyone can do is wear a poppy.
Wearing a poppy is something that many Canadians do during the weeks and days leading to Remembrance Day, but many don't know exactly what wearing a poppy — and the donation given to get one — actually means.
Every year, the Poppy Campaign put on by the Royal Canadian Legion sees 18 million poppies given out between Canada and overseas, and over $8 million in funds is raised. The poppy was adopted in 1921 as the official symbol of remembrance, but what it means has to do more with just showing that you care. The funds from the Poppy Campaign help needy and disabled veterans, service workers and their families who contributed during both world wars, as well as the funding of bursaries, housing facilities for veterans, medical equipment and other services that assist ex-soldiers who need them.
Bill Johnston works at the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum on Oxford Street, and said that the money raised from the Poppy Campaign is an important part of the running of local legions. "Legions are primarily for veterans, but because the veterans are dying off, there's not a lot of veterans to support a legion, so the money will go there. They share it, it just doesn't get buried."
But wearing a poppy is more significant than making a donation. It shows that as a Canadian, you appreciate those who had fought for your freedom. From a young age, Johnston was trained to wear a poppy, and has never looked back. "I always buy a poppy, just to show that I remember," he said. "My dad was in the army, but he was considered one of the older soldiers, and he didn't go over.
But he taught me to wear a poppy a long time ago, and I've always worn a poppy, because he knew a lot of guys that went over and didn't come back."
This Remembrance Day, be sure to pick up a poppy to show your gratitude and support our veterans. Poppy donation boxes can be found almost everywhere, such as banks, schools, grocery stores and around campus.
Wearing a poppy is something that many Canadians do during the weeks and days leading to Remembrance Day, but many don't know exactly what wearing a poppy — and the donation given to get one — actually means.
Every year, the Poppy Campaign put on by the Royal Canadian Legion sees 18 million poppies given out between Canada and overseas, and over $8 million in funds is raised. The poppy was adopted in 1921 as the official symbol of remembrance, but what it means has to do more with just showing that you care. The funds from the Poppy Campaign help needy and disabled veterans, service workers and their families who contributed during both world wars, as well as the funding of bursaries, housing facilities for veterans, medical equipment and other services that assist ex-soldiers who need them.
Bill Johnston works at the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum on Oxford Street, and said that the money raised from the Poppy Campaign is an important part of the running of local legions. "Legions are primarily for veterans, but because the veterans are dying off, there's not a lot of veterans to support a legion, so the money will go there. They share it, it just doesn't get buried."
But wearing a poppy is more significant than making a donation. It shows that as a Canadian, you appreciate those who had fought for your freedom. From a young age, Johnston was trained to wear a poppy, and has never looked back. "I always buy a poppy, just to show that I remember," he said. "My dad was in the army, but he was considered one of the older soldiers, and he didn't go over.
But he taught me to wear a poppy a long time ago, and I've always worn a poppy, because he knew a lot of guys that went over and didn't come back."
This Remembrance Day, be sure to pick up a poppy to show your gratitude and support our veterans. Poppy donation boxes can be found almost everywhere, such as banks, schools, grocery stores and around campus.
