CASH OR TAP: Legion expands poppy campaign efforts
· Toronto Sun
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As Remembrance Day approaches next week, Canadians for the first time can tap to donate to The Royal Canadian Legion’s national poppy campaign.
The Legion, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, launched fundraising efforts last month with the option for Canadians to donate with a debit card, credit card or digital wallet on their phones.
“This is revolutionary for us, and we hope to see it grow,” Sharon McKeown, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion, said in a statement .
Volunteers from local youth cadet organizations continue to collect physical cash donations outside busy transit hubs, retail stores and other high foot-traffic areas.
Legion members collect digital donations
The new digital payment options, supported by BMO, will be collected by Legion members who volunteer at participating branches and at all provincial command offices.
In addition, 2,000 “Pay Tribute” tap-enabled poppy boxes will be made available across the country with the help of RBC.
And for a third year, Amazon Canada will allow people to donate $5, $10, or $20 online to receive poppies at their doors.
People can also give online at Legion.ca and at poppy donation boxes at specific retailers.
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Common symbol of remembrance
Millions of Canadians wear a poppy ahead of and on Remembrance Day as one of the most common symbols of remembrance, honouring the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom during both world wars and other conflicts.
On Remembrance Day, people are encouraged to wear a poppy and observe two minutes of silence. If attending a ceremony, many place their poppies at the base of the cenotaph as a sign of respect at the end of the service.
How do donations help?
Donations go to the Poppy Trust Fund and help support veterans and their families who are in need, which include members of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP.
The money collected also helps fund the purchase of medical equipment, medical research, home services, long-term care facilities, and other purposes including visits, transportation and day trips and accessibility modifications to assist Veterans with disabilities.
Are poppies worn at different times of the year?
According to Veterans Affairs, the poppy can be worn at commemorative events throughout the year.
Those include anniversaries of significant battles, a memorial service at a Royal Canadian Legion convention, and other similar occasions.
“For example, they are often worn during Veterans Affairs Canada overseas event,” the government agency says on its website . “The poppy may also be worn by Colour parties when on parade and by Legion members attending funeral services for Veterans or ordinary members.
The agency advises the public to follow the lead of event organizers about wearing a poppy.
Why are poppies symbols of remembrance?
During the First World War, poppies grew in the fields around soldiers’ graves in France and Belgium. John McCrae, a doctor serving with Canadian Artillery, highlighted the red flower in his famous 1915 poem, In Flanders Fields .
Two days before the armistice was signed, on Nov. 9, 1918, the poem was read by Moina Michael, an American woman living in Georgia. She was inspired to wear a poppy year-round to honour those who died in the bloody conflict.
Two years later, Anna Guerin of France attended the American Legion convention and was inspired by the idea of the poppy as a memorial flower.
Guerin, dubbed the French Poppy Lady, felt the flower could also be used to help the needy and suggested artificial poppies could be made and sold to raise money for orphaned children and those injured during the war.
She then visited Canada the following year and managed to convince the Great War Veterans Association of Canada — what The Royal Canadian Legion was known at the time — to adopt the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.