Tomorrow, the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Qualicum Beach is holding an open house. The reason is to introduce themselves formally to the community during National Legion Week, June 19 to 25. This is a great opportunity to get to know a little better an organization that was created to support Canada’s veterans upon their return from service overseas or at home.
From social services to just a place to decompress and share stories, the Legion across Canada is a national institution and faces new challenges as one generation of servicemen and women makes way for another.
While their wars will be different, their experiences might not be, and there is opportunity to learn from each other.
Legions across the country have also been tireless contributors to local youth, community groups and other deserving local recipients. These days, being a part of any Legion no longer requires military service. One supposes that has come around as more of the people who have been a part of the organization have aged.
As a result, Legions have become more of a broad-based community service organization, while retaining their history and identity as places of refuge for those who have served Canada.
In that vein, the Royal Canadian Legion should not have to hold an open house to introduce itself to the community. We should all know what it is and what it does, and share that knowledge with our peers and our children. Yet, there are those among us who forget why a place like the Legion exists, and hold outdated, uninformed opinions about it. That’s why it’s always important for the Royal Canadian Legion to remain connected to our community..
— editorial by Steven Heywood