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Turner Valley poppy donations steady

Donations to the poppy fund for the Turner Valley branch of the Royal Canadian Legion remained steady this year, while attendance was up at the Nov. 11 ceremony in Diamond Valley.

Donations to the poppy fund for the Turner Valley branch of the Royal Canadian Legion remained steady this year, while attendance was up at the Nov. 11 ceremony in Diamond Valley.

Linda Macaulay, Turner Valley poppy campaign chairwoman, said approximately $15,500 was collected in this year’s poppy campaign, similar to 2015.

The Turner Valley Legion covers Turner Valley, Black Diamond, Longview, Bragg Creek as well as the Priddis, Millarville and DeWinton areas. Donations from each community go to the Turner Valley Legion branch and Macaulay said they will remain in the community.

“It stays here so that we can serve the veterans when they have needs,” she said.

Macaulay said the poppy funds have gone to help local veterans in a number of ways over the years.

“We have co-ordinated drivers and provided funding for gasoline and parking if they have to go to an appointment, they’ve received assistance with rent to get someone on their feet,” she said.

With more than $76,000 collected in Okotoks the total donations in the two communities will exceed $90,000.

Macaulay said the Foothills community continued to show strong support for veterans and Remembrance Day.

She said they have also received 485 entries submissions for a poster and essay contest held by the Legion each year before the Dec. 1 deadline.

Entries are judged and winners are submitted further to provincial and national levels.

“We got some really, really great entries, well done,” said Macaulay.

She said well over 700 people attended the Remembrance Day ceremony at Oilfields High School in Black Diamond. Macaulay said it was the best attendance yet in the community.

“We set up 691 chairs, it was standing room at the back and we had 60 people plus on stage,” she said.

Attendance in Okotoks was also well up. Okotoks Legion president Bob McLeod said the crowd at the Pason Centennial Arena numbered close to 3,000 and the cenotaph ceremony attracted as much as 500 people.

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