OTTAWA, Oct. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Royal Canadian Legion’s 2022 National Poppy Campaign is officially underway, with new biodegradable Poppies and wreaths and some poignant new initiatives to help promote Remembrance.
“We are pleased that we have been able to reduce our environmental footprint with these beautiful biodegradable symbols of Remembrance,” says Bruce Julian, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion. “At the same time, we’re presenting some new initiatives to engage more Canadians in the importance and meaning of Remembrance.”
Biodegradable Poppies and Wreaths
For the first time ever, the Legion is distributing new biodegradable Poppies and wreaths during this year’s campaign. 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” 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 new 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 today.
Ways to donate
Traditional Poppy boxes will be available at over 27,000 locations for donations and lapel poppy distribution. For a third year, 1000 “Pay Tribute” Tap and Give electronic boxes will be found at many Legion Branches, HSBC Branches, and select retail locations. There are $2, $5 and $10 options and donors can receive a lapel Poppy from the electronic box. Donors can also choose to give online via Legion.ca.
The 2022 Digital Poppy will once again be presented through www.mypoppy.ca. People can dedicate a Digital Poppy and share it on their social media channels. It is a project of The Legion National Foundation – and donations go to this charity, whose work complements that of the Legion. Also, as part of the overall campaign this year, “Letters Home” will share the thoughts and feelings of soldiers who served our country many years ago. This special project will launch on November 2.
Funds donated across the country during the National Poppy Campaign support Veterans and their families. Funds donated locally stay local. Close to 20 million dollars is generously donated each year.
The ceremonial start to the 2022 National Poppy Campaign took place on October 25, with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, accepting the First Poppy from Dominion President Bruce Julian.
National Ceremony, Ceremony Locator
With the easing of pandemic restrictions, the November 11 ceremony in Ottawa will be back in full with a grand Veterans’ Parade and a CF-18 fly-past. Special touches will include honouring Queen Elizabeth II with a dedicated wreath, and acknowledging the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid. As part of the commemorations, vintage aircraft including a Mustang P-51, a Hawker Hurricane, and Supermarine Spitfire will perform a fly-past during God Save the King. In addition, a unique Red Ensign flag understood to have been carried by a Canadian solder at Dieppe, will be displayed at the foot of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The live presentation of the National Ceremony will be accessible via the Legion’s Facebook page and 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.
Remembrance through Light
Once again this year, 117,000 Poppies representing Fallen Canadian Veterans will cascade virtually upon the Peace Tower at Parliament Hill and on the Senate building. The Poppy Drop will take place from October 28 to November 11, from 6:30–9:30 pm ET. Virtual Poppies will also cascade down the National Art Centre’s “Kipnes Lantern” on November 11, from 7:00 am ET to midnight.
Beautiful Canadian landmarks and community locations will also be lit in support of the campaign and Remembrance. The special lightings include the following, to date:
- The CN Tower will project the Poppy image on the tower itself.
- The City of Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square will be lit.
- The Niagara Falls will be lit in red on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11.
- The City of Ottawa sign in the Byward Market will be lit.
- Science World and BC Place Stadium will be lit on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11.
- The sails at Canada Place will be lit on Nov. 11.
- Starting on Oct. 28 and running each night, two large screens on Parliament Hill will also show the Virtual Wall of Honour, a silent video sharing the faces of Canadian Veterans who have passed, their photos submitted by people from across the country.
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: PublicRelations@Legion.ca; Nujma Bond 343-540-7604
Legion.ca
Facebook.com/CanadianLegion
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YouTube.com/user/RCLDominionCommand
LinkedIn.com/company/royalcanadianlegion
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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