To kick off the annual poppy campaign two poppies were pinned on the mayor's lapel at the RancheHouse Oct. 28.
It is the flower's 100th anniversary as the symbol of remembrance of veterans in Canada.
For three years, The Royal Canadian Legion's Cochrane Branch #15 has been pinning a poppy on Cochrane's mayor to mark the start of the nationwide campaign to raise money for veterans and their families in communities across Canada.
The poppy campaign began the last Friday of October and continues until Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.
Mayor Jeff Genung had the honour of receiving the poppies from Legion president and district 5 commander Karen Bruens and Legion 1st vice-president Rob Orser, who gave him both the traditional poppy and a new 100th-anniversary commemorative poppy produced by The Royal Canadian Legion, reminiscent of those worn after the First World War.
The Legion is charging $10 for the commemorative pin, which can only be purchased at local branches and through the nationally Legion-run poppystore.ca.
Bruens explained that the commemorative pin is to be placed below the traditional poppy on one's lapel.
She said the tradition of pinning one on the mayor is something that was carried over from her hometown of Vegreville.
"This was something that started in Vegreville, where I came from, where we always gave the mayor the first poppy," Bruens explained. "It's an act of recognition for the people that run our community and put in a lot of hours. And also, it's awareness for the public, that this pertains to all of us, not just Legion members. It's basically telling the public that we have to help our vets and we have them at all different ages. So it's the awareness and I also just feel it's a kind gesture."
The Governor General is the first to receive a poppy in Canada, then distribution happens at a provincial level with Lieutenant Governors across the country receiving theirs next. The Legion branch takes it to the next step bringing the awareness to a municipal level, which is where money raised from the campaign stays - to be distributed to veterans locally.
"I think it's significant and it does exactly what you hope in that it reaches into the community, it makes people more aware, and with awareness - money follows," Genung said.
Two years ago, Genung's father, Roy Genung built Canada's largest poppy donation collection box in a joint effort with local citizen Dan Kroffat and the community to raise additional funds to add finishing touches to the community cenotaph park, including landscape maintenance, adding benches and a naming stone. In total, the campaign raised over $5,000 to reach its goal that year.
With the cenotaph campaign complete, the large box now collects money for the Legion's poppy campaign in the lead up to Remembrance Day and has been seen stationed at the local McDonald's, Cochrane Coffee Traders and the Legion.
Along with the standard white poppy collection boxes which residents will see dispersed around town, Cochrane also has about a hundred unique secure collection boxes which are lockable. The boxes are the brainchild of Kroffat and made possible by local manufacturer Hunterwood Technologies and through sponsorships from other businesses.
The Cochrane Legion branch's Remembrance Day service will be live-streamed over the Cochrane Legion's Facebook page, Orser explained, with no in-person service at the high school.
"We'll start the morning at the cenotaph with our Colour Party and wreath-laying, that kind of thing, that's all going to stream live," he said. "The public isn't really encouraged to attend in-person because of COVID issues."
Donations to all of the poppy collection boxes will benefit the Legion Poppy Fund. The fund provides financial assistance and support to veterans, including the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP, and their families who are in need. For more information visit: www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy-campaign.
