June 16, 2011 Volume 10 • Number 24 50¢ Newsstand Price
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Art Gallery grants reduced – page 2
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Veterans honoured during 85th anniversary Most recognizable for their Remembrance Day Poppy Drive, the Royal Canadian Legion is embarking on their 85th birthday and has a lot to celebrate during this year’s annual Legion Week. “We are celebrating by holding two luncheons for our veterans at the Legion at 425 Lansdowne St.,� explains Pauline Dagert, longtime volunteer and office manager at the Royal Canadian Legion downtown. “The luncheons are being held on June 22 and 23 at 12 noon. Any and all veterans are invited to attend. We have been working hard on calling everyone but there are many we have not been able to get a hold of so we would like them to call the legion at 250-3741743. We will be serving soup and sandwiches both days. We do this every year.� June 19 to 25, 2011 has officially been proclaimed as Legion Week by the Province of British Columbia and each branch throughout the province is definitely taking a little time out to celebrate themselves, their veterans, and spread a little bit of news about what the Royal Canadian Legion is and why they are around. Here in the downtown core, the Legion has more than 600 members spread out across Kamloops and surrounding areas. More than
Pauline and Lorne Dagert, a service officer and D-Day veteran KCBIA - earlugtheir June16.indd respectively, just celebrated 64th1 wedding anniversary. A past Sergeant of Arms, Lorne is believed to be the second oldest veteran in Kamloops.
just a social group, the downtown Legion along with the other 154 Legion’s and 70,000 members across British Columbia and the Yukon are one of the most giving and charitable groups in the country. They are the largest non-profit provider of veteran and seniors housing with over 4,500 units in
70 facilities, have endowed the Chair of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia for over a quarter of a century, are a longstanding and significant contributor to the BC Seniors Games, volunteer over 600,000 hours in communities supporting health, social, education-
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al and athletic programs, support over 400 youth groups and are the largest contributor supporting Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Cadets, provide bursaries and scholarships worth more than $819,000 annually, contribute in excess of $400,000 for medical research and special medical equipment in health care facilities and much, much more. Every time you think of the Legion and donate your change in exchange for a poppy you are not only supporting our war veterans but you are supporting our community as a whole. The story of the Legion is that of the little organization that could. What originally served as a place of camaraderie, support and advocacy, assisting returning military personnel to ease the transition from war to civilian life has evolved into one of the foremost and most respected community service organizations in Canada. Serving veterans, ex-service personnel and their families, the new military, as well as seniors and youth, the Legion significantly contributes to every aspect of community life. The Royal Canadian Legion is also the body in charge of ensuring the tradition of Remembrance is observed by Canadians every year at the 11th hour on the 11th day – continued on page 2