23-year-old Royal Canadian Legion member hopes more young people join to ensure its future

A young Fredericton legion member hopes to attract more people her age to the cause.

When Madison Morell turned 18, she decided it was time to carry on her family’s legacy and join the Royal Canadian Legion.

She said there were some quips shared among legion branch members that she might be the youngest member in the country.

Now 23, Morell received her five-year service pin this year and is the first vice-president of the Ladies Auxiliary of Fredericton Legion Branch No. 4.

“My great-grandparents were both president of our legion branch. My great-grandmother was provincial president of the auxiliary and branch president, and my great-grandfather was president of our legion as well,” she said.

“So I always kind of grew up knowing what that would have meant … to go away to war and see your friends die next to you. But, as I got older, I realized, you know, just kind of how important that was. So, when I turned 18 I thought, ‘Hey, I’m going to join the legion.’”

The Royal Canadian Legion was founded by a group of several veterans’ organizations who merged in 1925. Their mission has remained to support and advocate for veterans and ensure the act of remembrance lives on.

According to its website, the Royal Canadian Legion has 270,000 members and 1,350 branches across the country.

Since joining, Morell says it’s been a journey. Some people are impressed by her dedication, while others are a little weary of it.

Change can be hard, but it’s necessary to see legions survive into the future, she says.

“Everybody has a really good heart. And it makes sense why they’re kind of guarded about what they do. Because it’s so important,” she said.

She sees that firsthand during the many legion events Morell is a part of. From bingo with seniors and bringing Christmas gifts to the veterans hospital, to being a social support to veterans and seniors who are isolated, Morell says it’s a very fulfilling group to be a part of.

But she is worried.

“Since I’ve joined, I’ve seen more and more branches close. And I definitely worry about the day where I might be the only one left. So hopefully, you know, I think that there’s a way to, to preserve it. We just have to kind of figure out what that way is. And I don’t think there’s one straight answer for that,” she said.

Legion Branch No. 4 President Joanne Gibson says a younger member of the auxiliary is something “that we’ve waiting for a long time.”

“Most of our ladies auxiliary members are now, like all of us, are getting older, and we’d love to see these younger people at our legion,” she said.

Morell encourages anyone interested in getting involved to reach out to their closest branch.

But she hopes, more than anything, that people take care of the veterans in their family.

“See how they’re doing. I know a lot of the younger veterans, they feel differently about their service than the older guys do, and the older ladies,” she said.

“And I think it’s just really important to let all generations know how much they’re appreciated and how much their sacrifices have meant to everybody and to continuing on the cause that Canada’s has been so known for over the past 100 years.”

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