Photo: Contributed

Kelowna's Royal Canadian Legion typically has one of the most successful poppy campaigns in the country each year.

On average, it raises about $175,000 for worthy causes, from supporting veterans to other charitable efforts, including the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, Central Okanagan Hospice House and more. 

Branch 26 recently presented the KGH Foundation with a $100,000 donation toward JoeAnna’s House, a home away from home for families of patients who must travel to KGH for advanced care.  

“We were very moved when we heard about the need for JoeAnna’s House,” says Branch 26 president Jim White.  “This project represents the values that we hold very dear – that as a community, it is our duty to take care of one another in the darkest times.”

Locally and across the nation, Legion members have occupied street corners and grocery store entry ways, standing in quiet dignity as they offer poppies by donation.

After Nov. 11, the Legion serves as a social hub, with entertainment, the ever-popular meat draw, lunches, dances and events that connect its many senior members with a younger generation of veterans.