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Bill Costain is the service officer and membership chairman of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Richmond branch.
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Legion seeking more support
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Local support of Richmond’s Royal Canadian Legion branch is declining, says its service officer and membership chairman Bill Costain.
“We can’t get people to join,” says Costain. “The younger generation in Richmond doesn’t like to drink beer. They come in to play darts and drink tap water.”
The Royal Canadian Legion, founded in 1926, is a non-profit Canadian organization for veterans. Richmond Legion #291 has devoted itself to supporting numerous local organizations and charities for nearly 100 years. Some of the oldest members joined before their service in the Second World War.
Historically, a legion hall was the social centre of many Canadian towns. This was especially the case in provinces with severe restrictions on the sale of alcohol, a rule from which legions were generally exempt.
The Richmond branch decided to remove its bar because the lack of drink sales has led to losses of nearly $72,000 a year. The branch is currently in negotiations to sell its property and use the funds from the sale to open a veteran services club.
The majority of the legion’s operational costs and charitable activities used to be funded by patrons buying drinks at the bar, with the exception of the poppy campaign that runs annually in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.
Funds from the poppy campaign are held in a strict trust and can only be spent on certain things. The funds are intended to provide one-time grants to veterans for food, shelter, and medical needs like hearing aids.
For general aid, the federal government provides veterans with support to honour them for their service.
Community fundraising efforts by the Ladies’ Auxiliary and the wives of legion members used to contribute significantly to funding the branch.
“The Ladies’ Auxiliary was the backbone of the legion,” says Costain. “They had bake sales, lunches, and organized walks for fundraising. Most of those ladies are now in their 80s and 90s. Many of them joined with their husbands at the beginning of (the Second World War) in 1939.”
Legion #291 is still actively participating in charitable efforts in Richmond. This month, the branch is making two donations of $15,000 each to the Richmond Hospital and the Salvation Army Rotary Hospice.
It also makes regular donations to Richmond cadets, last month giving $2,000 each to Richmond Air Cadets, Army Cadets, and Navy Cadets.
“Cadet programs are very important because the training they get is second to none,” says Costain. “Families report that the training is beneficial to kids as they enter their teenage years because they are well disciplined and can offer support to their family members.”
The Royal Canadian Legion continues to fundraise on memorial holidays like Remembrance Day and Robbie Burns Day to contribute towards veteran services.
“The army and navy veterans have a saying: ‘if you like your freedom, thank a veteran’,” says Costain.
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