Royal Canadian Legion Branch 76 marks national Legion Week welcoming 4 new members, encouraging more

Legion Week in Sudbury Royal Canadian Legion branches in Canada are holding events this week showcasing their work & welcoming new members. Angela Gemmill has more

Royal Canadian Legion Branches across the country are holding events this week to showcase the work they do for veterans and their respective communities, as well as welcome new members.

At Branch 76 in Greater Sudbury’s Minnow Lake neighbourhood, four new members were welcomed during a swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

George Middleton is what the Legion calls a new ‘ordinary’ member, that’s because he’s served in the military.

He actually joined earlier this year, but was caring for his ailing wife who has since passed away. He said she was the one who encouraged him to join the Legion.

“I’d like to get involved,” Middleton said.

“I will go out and get my blazer with the crest on it and that and be ready, especially for Remembrance Day. It’s a big deal in my mind.”

Along with ‘ordinary’ members, there are also those labelled ‘associate’ – they have a family member who served in the military. There is a third rank – affiliate – which is someone without any connections to the military, but they still want to volunteer.

Branch 76 is one of the larger Legions in this region with about 400 members from all backgrounds – including the four new members sworn in this week.

“There’s a lot of work to do,” said president Sylvia Prevost.

“We want to support our veterans and their families – can’t forget their families, and to get new members in it takes the load off the ones that are always working.”

Legion Week is a chance for the various branches to promote the work they do – not just for veterans but for the community – while also encouraging more people to volunteer.

At Branch 76, that membership is focused on holding family-oriented events like Halloween and Christmas.

“It’s just so that if mom and dad come and the kids are used to coming then perhaps these could be our Legionnaires of the future,” said the branch’s 1st vice chair Gisele Pharand.

“I’m hoping they’ll see how important it is to be a Legion member because even if you’re not able to help right now,” said Prevost.

“Even just making phone calls is a big help to us or stuffing the envelopes when the newsletter comes out.”

There are 260,000 Royal Canadian Legion members across the country – including 100,000 in Ontario.

Many of the branches have been around for decades, including Branch 76, which will mark its 100th anniversary in just two years time.