New Legion sign stands tall and proud

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This article was published 29/09/2020 (2149 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Charleswood Legion on Roblin Boulevard has a new way of promoting events and keeping the community informed.

On Sun., Sept. 20, the Legion held a special ribbon-cutting to acknowledge a brand-new electronic sign made possible through community donations.   

Because of capacity restrictions, the event was not open to the public but was attended by representatives of all three levels of government as well as corporate and private donors. Present were Marty Morantz, MP for Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia-Headingly; Myrna Driedger, MLA for Charleswood; Jon Reyes, MLA for Waverley and special envoy for military affairs; and Kevin Klein, city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood.  

“All of them are great supporters of the Legion and its dedication to the community and veterans,” said Legion president Spencer Ready.  

The Legion offers a wide variety of services, programs and resources and Ready is thankful for the rewarding experience he gains through his involvement.  

“The Charleswood Legion represents the very best in volunteering and dedication to the Royal Canadian Legion and the community. I am very proud to have such a hard-working executive and other volunteers who give so much of themselves to make the Charleswood Branch a safe fun place to come to,” he said.   

“With the help of a very efficient and hard-working Executive, we plan all events and organize manpower to make them run as smoothly as possible. This includes everything from our meat draws to our Remembrance Day ceremonies.”  

“The Legion’s mandate is to serve all veterans and their families. We are very active in advocating for benefits for Vets at our branch. We continually work with Veterans Affairs to expedite benefits to vets and have a very high success rate when it comes to appeal in favour of vets,” Ready explained.  

The Legion serves as an important community resource, as it supports the Military Family Resource Centre at 17 Wing, provides bursaries and organizes summer camps for members’ children. It also advocates for better and more accessible mental health treatment and services for vets and their families.  

The Charleswood Legion provides a venue for many non-profit groups including the Boy Scouts, Manitoba Pipe and Drums, the model railroad association and others.

Beauchemin Park Place, a 55-plus building Owned and operated by the Charleswood Legion Non-Profit Housing Corporation, was built to help lower-income residents in the community.   

“A few years ago, we developed the Adopt-a-Vet program. With the assistance of 17 Wing we gather the names of vets in personal care homes in the Charleswood area. We purchase gifts and present them in-person, in uniform. This program has been a tremendous success, bringing a bit of cheer at Christmas time,” Ready said.   

“All Legions are changing and adapting to the changes in society today. I believe we are moving in the right direction but we need younger people to take over from us.

“We must always maintain our founding values and goals. I believe we can do that in a more modern way with the right people involved.”  

For more information, visit: https://www.rclwinnipeg100.ca