The Lacombe Legion Branch #79 is preparing a couple of changes to accommodate the COVID-19 for this year’s Remembrance Day. This year, the organization is hoping to raise at least $30,000 from their annual poppy campaign and is in need of much more volunteers to help get to that goal.

“I'm really hoping that people of Lacombe will get on board with this and still give us donations. Our veterans are 80 plus now except for the new veterans that are coming out of service and we really do need to have help,” said Barbara Burnett, Poppy Chairman for the Lacombe Legion.

Burnett’s goal is to raise $30,000 so the Legion can help veterans in need and donate to the community.  This year, fundraising has been tough for the Legion because the pandemic has made it difficult to host their usual events.

Money that the Legion receives goes to the following community improvements:

  • Educational Bursaries
  • Comforts for veterans in hospital or who are hospitalized
  • Community medical appliances
  • Medical research
  • Medical training
  • Donations for disasters declared by Federal and Provincial Governments
  • Expenses of the Branch Veteran Services Chairman
  • Prizes for the annual Remembrance Day Poster and Literary Contests
  • Legion service bureau offices

Burnett will be distributing poppies to all businesses that are willing to sell them. Wreath sales will begin on Friday, October 30th at the Lacombe Legion starting at 10:00 AM. You can also call the legion at (403) 782-6441 for a wreath. This year people will be taking wreaths home with them to reduce the number of people who touch them.

Of course, this year’s Remembrance Day will be a little bit different. The Lacombe Legion will be offering a physical service outside the Lacombe Memorial Centre (LMC) on November 11th at 11:00AM instead of their usual ceremony held inside.

Only 200 people will be able to attend the ceremony but Burnett says they may be loud enough to hear the ceremony from neighboring streets and properties. Veterans will be given priority parking. The last service hosted outdoors was in 2005 for LMC renovations.

“The military have done a lot for us and we could be able to suck it up for an hour and a half because they've done some many years of service in the cold,” said Burnett.

Additionally, Remembrance Day ceremonies in the schools will be operating differently to reduce the number of guests in the schools. The Lacombe Legion has created a video to send out to the schools for their Remembrance Day ceremonies.

“We do Clive, Blackfalds, Bentley, and Lacombe schools and we got tons of schools to do. So, that’s one way they’ll be able to remember,” said Burnett.

The Legion is currently looking for ways on getting the videotapes version of the ceremonies to seniors centers throughout the city.

Overall, Burnett hopes people take some time to think about those that fought for our freedom this Remembrance Day no matter how people choose to participate.  

If you would like to help out with the poppy campaign, or place poppies on veteran’s graves you can contact the Lacombe Legion at (403) 782-6441 or visit their Facebook page.