The Clearwater Legion, Branch 259, hosted a Legion Week Open House dinner on Sept. 19, inviting the public to learn more about the Legion and becoming a member.
“In recent years the rules for joining the Legion have evolved, and we are hoping to encourage anyone interested in supporting our organization to explore becoming a member of the Royal Canadian Legion,” said Clearwater branch vice president Wayne Wysoski.
“Current serving or retired armed forces and RCMP members are invited to join for free for the first year of membership. Any Canadian or citizen of an allied nation 18 years of age or older can join. You don’t have to be a veteran to support a veteran.”
Wysoski has been a longstanding, active member of the Legion in Clearwater, and looks forward to welcoming new members into the community organization.
During the open house on Sept. 19, Wysoski and the president of Branch 259, Charlotte Cederholm, presented a cheque in the amount of $2,000 to Marilyn Collison, president of the Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital Auxiliary (DHMHA). The money will go towards the purchase of a new digital X-ray machine that the DHMHA is fundraising for.
“The donation comes from our Poppy Fund towards this worthwhile piece of equipment that will benefit everyone, including veterans and first responders,” said Wysoski.
Collison gratefully accepted the the cheque on behalf of the auxiliary. “We are so grateful to the Legion for this generous donation, which will help us reach the goal of approximately $50,000 towards the purchase of the X-ray machine for our hospital.”
She explained that the goal of the auxiliary is to raise funds to go towards the expensive and much more efficient new machine, as the current X-ray equipment being used at the hospital is quite old and takes much longer than a digital machine.
“The auxiliary is in the middle of a raffle, with proceeds going towards the new X-ray machine, which should earn another $10,000 towards our goal,” said Collison. She also pointed out the amazing efforts by local thrift shops in Clearwater and Vavenby in support of hospital equipment purchases, along with donations from Trans Mountain Pipeline and Bannister as well.
The X-ray machine’s price tag will be in excess of $250,000, and the community organizations are hoping that with the help of groups like theirs, the machine will become a reality in the near future as an “essential piece of equipment” for the hospital, which serves a large area in the valley, according to Collison.
The Legion Branch 259 in Clearwater is continuing its recruitment and information events prior to Remembrance Day on Nov. 11. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a Legion member is welcome to drop by the Clearwater branch at 257 Glen Road or visit https://www.legion.ca/.
