Perhaps galvanized by the pair of slain soldiers in Ottawa and Montreal in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, donations to the Elmira Legion’s poppy campaign spiked last November.
All told, the Elmira branch of the Royal Canadian Legion brought in $35,537.68.
The organization was able to pass on its good fortune to other community groups at its general meeting March 24.
“The support from this community is awesome,” poppy campaign organizer Bill Strauss said. “It’s a lot of work, but it is so gratifying; especially this year, and I’m not sure if it was because of the problems (last fall), but the turnout and the amount collected was great.”
The general meeting on Tuesday evening at the Legion saw Community Care Concepts, St. Mary’s Hospital and the Grand River Hospital Cancer Centre each receive $4,000.
Other monies are headed to the Royal Canadian Legion Bursary ($2,000), the Royal Canadian Legion Charitable Foundation ($2,000), to veterans at the Parkwood Hospital in London ($1,500), the Commonwealth Ex Servicemen League ($500), to support youth education ($1,492), Operation Leave the Streets Behind ($500) and the Waterloo Region Army Cadets ($300).
The breakdown of the 2014 poppy campaign saw $11,849.77 from lapel poppies, $3,602 from wreath sales, $18,545.91 in donations and $1,540 in memoriam.
