The Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch recently presented cheques that totalled $25,000 to several organizations.
A total of $15,000 went to the legion’s Provincial Command, and was accepted by Roberta Taylor, who is a provincial vice-president. There was $7,000 to the Leave the Streets Behind program to assist homeless veterans, another $7,000 to a veterans wellness program and $1,000 to the Paws for Vets initiative.
The legion presented another $10,000 to cadet programs in the community. They made a $2,000 annual donation to the No. 30 Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadets, which was accepted by Capt. Danielle Fleury, who is the commanding officer.
Another $2,000 was donated to the No. 2901 Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Army Cadets Piping and Drumming School. It was accepted by Capt. Rob Rooks, who is a band officer. The money will be used for pipes and drums training.
Finally, they handed over their $6,000 annual contribution to the No. 2901 PPCLI Army Cadets, which was accepted by Capt. Craig Bird, the commanding officer.
The money came from the legion’s Poppy Fund.
Legion branch president Jim (Frosty) Forrest said the legion reviews donation requests with provincial command.
“The legion has various programs for veterans, so those were the three that they mentioned,” said Forrest.
The wellness program is a relatively new effort that provides guidance to help veterans live healthy lives.
“It deals with nutrition, mental well-being and so on. It’s a very important program, and it’s just kind of getting off the ground now,” said Forrest.
Leave the Streets helps veterans find jobs. Forrest noted three veterans recently found work through the program.
Finally, Paws for Vets partners up veterans with service dogs, and is particularly beneficial for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
As for the cadet programs, Forrest said the programs and the legion work together. The cadets produce some great young people, and so the legion is eager to support them.
“In one form or another, we try to give support to the cadets. The army cadets, they use our facilities for … a lot of their activities, and they in turn provide us with a lot of help whenever we are doing an event. When we need help, the cadets are there for us as well.”
Forrest said the legion has a committee that reviews the donations, the money they have to work with and where they can best direct the money.
