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The holiday season is a great time for catching up with friends and family and – hopefully! – getting a little extra rest in.

But it’s also an ideal time for giving back to the community.

Volunteering with The Royal Canadian Legion is a great way to have fun and, at the same time, make a difference in the lives of Veterans and their families.

Here’s how you can get involved with the Legion this holiday season.

Why get involved at The Royal Canadian Legion

The Royal Canadian Legion offers an unparalleled opportunity to get involved in your community.

Legion volunteers get to…

• Give back to their communities: There are more than 1,400 Legion branches across the country that play an essential role in their communities. Plus there are several nation-wide initiatives, such as raising money for the Poppy Fund, that bring people together from coast-to-coast. As a volunteer, you can be a part of making a difference!
• Meet new people: Legion branches serve as important meeting places for their communities. By volunteering, your local Legion branch can become a place for meeting and getting involved with others in your community.
• Learn new skills: Are you interested in developing outreach or other skills? The Legion is a great place to start. We have many opportunities for outreach, including our initiatives to help homeless Veterans and opportunities for them to better adjust to civilian life.

What Legion volunteers do

Make a difference in their communities

The Royal Canadian Legion plays an essential role in serving, advocating for and honouring Canada’s Veterans.

But it also does a lot more than that.

Legion branches make a huge difference in their community, whether it’s helping to build a residence for homeless Veterans in British Columbia, helping Veterans participate in outdoor activities, offering supports for seniors and families, organizing community events, or organizing commemorative ceremonies, Legionnaires make their community a more inclusive, better place.

Help Veterans in need

Canadian Veterans need your help. By volunteering, you can help ensure Veterans get the care and attention they deserve.

From visiting Veterans in long-term care facilities, to helping Veterans in need with financial assistance, starting the process for their disability claims and finding the right help that they need – our members make a big difference in the lives of Veterans.

Honour the Fallen

Canadians owe so much to the soldiers who have given their lives for this country’s freedom. Volunteers play an essential role in keeping those memories alive.

This includes educating youth on Veterans’ contributions, organizing commemorative ceremonies, promoting Remembrance throughout their branches and helping out during the Poppy Campaign around Remembrance Day.

How you can help as a Legion volunteer

There are many great ways you can contribute to The Royal Canadian Legion. Here are a few of them.

Raise money

Raising money for Canadian Veterans and the community is an essential part of what the Legion does. And we couldn’t do this without the help of our volunteers.

The Poppy Campaign plays a big role in raising money for Veterans through the Poppy Fund.

In 2017, for example, more than 60 volunteers in Mount Hamilton, Ontario raised over $60,000 for Veterans. And this year, the Robertson Memorial Branch No. 17 raised approximately $70,000 during the Poppy Campaign.

Other ways to raise money for Veterans and the community during the holidays can be through events such as dinners, silent auctions, billiard competitions, meat draws, trivia nights and dances.

The money raised from these initiatives is used for charitable donations, to support activities in their communities and to help with branch operations.

Without our branches, we could not help support Veterans, their families and our communities.

Help organize community events

Legion branches are the cornerstones of many Canadian towns and communities and are a central meeting place for many. It is also a place where all Veterans are welcome and can feel supported.

Get involved by helping to organize dinners for Veterans, concerts, clothing drives, barbeques, memorial services, Veterans appreciation nights, and more.

Money raised can go back into your branch to help the Legion do what we do best, care for our Veterans.

Pitch in at your local branch

Volunteers play an essential role in helping to run the more than 1,400 local branches across Canada.

Volunteering at a local branch is a great way to meet new people and become more involved in your community.

The best part? There are so many ways to contribute!

This could include helping out in the kitchen, bartending or volunteering to help at special events such as trivia, billiard competitions and bingo nights.

Find out what your local branch is up to and get involved!

Work directly with Veterans

The Legion also provides a number of important services to Veterans.

We are looking for volunteers to help our Command Service Officers find local Veterans who are in need to let them know about the following programs:

• Assistance with Veterans Affairs Canada, ensuring Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.
• Assistance in accessing immediate and long term supports and services that help Veterans adjust to civilian life
• Financial assistance and support for homeless Veterans and those at-risk of homelessness
• Assistance accessing mental health resources and support they need

Volunteers are also needed for our Outreach and Visitation Initiative:

• The Outreach and Visitation Initiative facilitates face-to-face visits with Veterans in long-term care facilities, providing them with an opportunity to have a social visit with a Legion volunteer and to raise concerns or identify needs.

How to volunteer for the Legion

Ready to volunteer? Here’s how you can get involved:

• Become a member
• Visit your local branch