OTTAWA, Oct. 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Royal Canadian Legion’s National Poppy Campaign is set for launch next week under a much less restrictive pandemic environment and featuring some exciting new initiatives. The National Poppy Campaign officially begins on Friday, October 28th.
“As we continue to evolve and modernize our campaign, our goal remains to engage Canadians in Remembrance, and ultimately help support more Veterans and their families through generous donations,” says Bruce Julian, Dominion President.
Traditional Poppy boxes will be available for cash donations and lapel poppy distribution. For a third year, the Legion’s “Pay Tribute” tap to donate electronic boxes will be featured and donors will also be able to give through the Legion’s national website.
Biodegradable Poppies and Wreaths
The Legion is extremely pleased to be offering new biodegradable Poppies and wreaths in 2022! 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 completely depleted, but eventually all Poppies and wreaths will be biodegradable. Only pins and bows will be non-biodegradable, however other solutions are under consideration in order to provide 100% biodegradable elements in the future.
Close to 20 million dollars is donated during the National Poppy Campaign each year and goes directly into initiatives to support Canada’s Veterans and their families.
The Digital Poppy will remain part of the overall campaign. By visiting www.mypoppy.ca people will be able to donate to receive a 2022 Digital Poppy which can then be shared through social media. Funds raised go directly to the Legion National Foundation, a separate entity from the Legion but whose work also helps Veterans, Families and Communities in a multitude of ways.
Poppy Stories
A large part of the Remembrance Period relates to the act of Remembrance itself. This year, the Legion is proud to present “Poppy Stories.” This initiative will allow people to scan a lapel Poppy with a smartphone and be taken to touching short anecdotes about everyday Canadians who gave their lives in service to our country. More details will be released on October 28.
National Ceremony, Ceremony Locator
On November 11, the Legion will stream the live presentation of the National Remembrance Day Ceremony from its Facebook page.
It will be back to normal in size and scope, after two years of more restrictive pandemic protocols. National broadcasters will cover the ceremony as in the past.
The Legion is also expanding its Ceremony Locator at Legion.ca. Branches are populating this page to allow Canadians to find a Legion-supported Remembrance ceremony closest to them. The Legion also recommends that people check with local Legion Branches to verify any remaining restrictions related to gatherings during the pandemic.
About The Royal Canadian Legion
Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With close to 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.
Public Relations/Media Inquiries: Nujma Bond 343-540-7604 or PublicRelations@Legion.ca
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