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Times-Advocate, 1987-09-16, Page 10Page 10 Times -Advocate, September 16, 1987 Exeter Legion proud to save the COflUflUflItY The Royal Canadian Legion R.E. Pooley Branch 167 EXETER, ONT. ASSIST YOUTH —A new ball diamond at Exeter Community Park was provided by the Legion in 1984. Most people think about the Royal Canadian Legion only once a year on November 11th when they see those aging legionnaires in their blue blazers marching to the Exeter cenotaph or standing theresolemnly at attention while the bugler plays the Last Post. The remembrance of 'Servicemen who gave their lives for their country and the welfare of veterans and their families who need aid are, of course, the two founding purposes of the Legion; however, over the years the Exeter Legion has become a community -oriented organization, and you may find the extent of community support and donations quite surprising. Why not take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the quantity and scope of your Legion's community involvement. Exeter Branch 167 of the Royal Canadian Legion was named the R. E. Pooley Branch to honor R. E. (Ted) Pooley, Exeter mayor from 1955 to 1961, com- munity supporter, and 'Mr. Legion' to the community until his death in 1984. To show that the Exeter Legion has continued Ted's focus on community support, Legion records from June, 1985 to June, 1987 were studied, and the data and information in the following paragraphs and charts clearly reveal the significant contribution that your Legion has made to its home and neighboring communities. Legion support has been broken down into four major areas: charitable donations, community institutions, sports support and youth support. nu11111111nnnnnn,1111111I111nl1II111111111111111111111111,1uuuuunnunuuuuln,1nuunnnnn,1nounnl� O C E _ CHART A - Charitable Donations Institution 1985-86 1986-87 /Average Average Cancer Society $ 100 $ 200 $ 150 Charitable Foundation 500 1000 750 Crippled Children - . 271 271 271 Diabetic Association• 150 289 219 Family & Children's Services 500 500 500 Heart and Stroke Fund 100 120 110 Huron Day Centre for Homebound - 500 250 Lupus Fund 200 200 200 March of Dimes 100 100 100 Outreach Project* 2000 - 1000 Parkwood Hospital 1000 1100 1050 , Salvation Army 500 500 500 St. John Ambulance 200 - 100 Sunshine Kids (preschool Nursery School) - 625 312 S.H. Homes for Mentally Nandi** 2000 - 1000 Survival Friendship Homes 250 250 250 Tornado Relief 1000 - 500 Average Annual Donations $7,262. 'Kevin Glasgow/Meds '88 project in Haiti • "Washers and dryers for two group homes ;E 1111111111111111111111111111111,1 11111111111111111111111 IIIIIIII 11111m1111111111n11ml l til oullnminnolunnn1nur J11111nnnun1nn1111nnuunn1111111nnu1111,nnmmmnnnnnnminmmlummmumn1111nnnnn11uu: CHART B - Community Institutions Over the period June, 1985 through June, 1987 (two years) the following donations were made in the areas listed: Exeter Cemetery (chairs for Decoration Day) $2100 Exeter Police (VCR equipment) 2500 S.II. Recreation (ball diamond lights) 5000 Exeter Senior Citizens 2400 Seniors Low Rental Housing 500 Braemore Manor 100 Aid to individuals 500 Centralia Parks Board 2600 Crediton Parks Board 2000 Usborne Ball Diamond - -4100 11111111UU11111t11t11111 Two year total - $21,800 Average Annual Donations - $10,900 Fin m 000mumlllllllllllln111 muulllllmmllmllllllllm111111111nllllnlll miiiiimmummommi IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL' CHART C - Sports Support Area 1985-86 1986-87 Average Baseball (Peewee) $1088 $ 620 $ 854 (8 dons.) (5 dons.) Figure Skating Club 500 2500 1500 Precision Skating 1000 1000 1000 Hockey ( Bantam/Peewee/Tykes) 1282 1415 1348 Minor Hockey Assoc. ( Ice Time) 4950 2500 3725 Junior llawks 682 750 716 Exeter Mohawks 270 135 Free Public Skating 150 200 175 Soccer 200 - 100 Seniors Sports ( lawnbowling 1 400 200 300 Exeter Sportsfest 500 - 250 Average Annual Support $10,103 E �n11n,1mnnun,1,1,1u,1,1111111111111,1uunlnunllllllu,1nnmumnullu,1,1nnn11n11nu,111,1unnn,1rF Jnmumm�ulunn11nnulnnnnlunlnulunnumminnnnnmm�mul11mnnmm11111lnnminlIIlI a CHART D - Youth Support Over the period June, 1985 through June, 1987• (two years) the following donations were made in the areas listed: Army Cadets $2656 Boy Scouts 400 3 3 Cubs (new tents) 3050 — Girl Guides 2800 = i Childfind Project (help purchase TV cameras) 1000 • Forum Trip (Ottawa) ( 2 students) 400 World Affairs Conference (Toronto) (25 students) 750 Student Encounters With Canada (Ottawa) (1 student) 100 ' = History Bursary S.H.D.H.S. Theatre Production = Special Olympics at S.H.D.H.S Public Speaking Prizes Literary and Poster Contest Prizes 3 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111nI111I11O11111111p111111111111111111111111111N1111111111111n111I111111111111111� , s 84 200 50 I 490 280 Two year Total - $12260 Average Annual Donations - $6,130 E WE WILL REMEMBER — Legion members are shown here during an annual Remembrance Day service at Usborne Central School. A quick perusal of the four charts reveals two Striking facts: the Legion's average support to community youth, sports, institutions and charities is a considerable amount, currently $34,395 annually, and the broad scope of the Legion's support is phenomenal. Some other comments should be made. - The amount shown above does not include the donated use of Legion facilities. The Legion hall is donated to many community organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Exeter Cubs, Scouts and Girl Guides, Senior Citizens, and for Branch 167 and Lions Club Christmas parties and some sports banquets. - - It should also be noted that Legion support is not -restricted to the town of Exeter only. Chart B shows that the Exeter Legion supported Centralia, Crediton and Usborne sports projects to the amount of $8,700 over the two year period involved. Also the figures do not cover certain Legion projects which aid the com- munity. For example, the Exeter Legion took part in the Legion Child Video I.D. program put into effect across Huron County. All area school schildren from Kindergarten age to Grade 6 were videotaped walking, stationary and talking in a 'Childh1nd'.type of program to aid police and parents in case of missing children. Besides the many hours put in by our Legion members in the complex videotaping program at Exeter, Usborne, Stephen and other area elementary schools, the program involves Exeter Legion paying Legion Ontario Command $1 per student videotaped for a total cost of between $500 and $600. Voluntary community work by Legion members is also not counted, and yet the Legion often absorbs costs in these areas. For example, twelve Legion members ddnated their time and efforts to help in the Grand Valley disaster, with the Legion paying 'forgas and meals. Finally, Legion members are•vofuntarily , to coaching, assisting and providing help in many areas within the community. TheExeter Legion's com- mitment to its community is, indeed, substantial. The contribution made by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Exeter Legion has also not been included even though their support of branch and community is substantial. Their --Carious activities provide funds which aid Legion projects and sup- port charitajble organizations, -provide bursuries and help in worthwhile com- munity projects. Exeter Legion ladies are noted for their excellent banquet catering and their hard work. - 4 And over the years the Legion hag always supported its community. A review of just some of the major donations in the four years prior to the, 1985-87 period just dealt with will help to reveal that, in addition to its aid to veterans and their families, the Exeter Legion's priorities have consistently been focused on our community's youth, its aged, and the institutions which provide service, care and protection for its citizens. In 1981, $1,000 was donated to the Exeter Community Park. Big Brothers received a $1,000 donation in 1983 to help young people in the community not fortunate enough to have a father. In 1984, $1,000 was donated to purchase new tents and equipment for the Boy Scouts (Chart D shows that the Cubs got theirs replaced two years later). Also in 1984 about $4,000 and a great deal of voluntary time and effort went into the creation of Little League Ball Diamond (the one at the rear of the South Huron sports area) so that our community's youngest would have a place to play ball that they could count on. The complete diamond was totally an Exeter Legion project. When our elderly citizens at Huronview requested financial aid to help pur- chase a -van in 1983, -they received a $1000 donation. In 1984, the Exeter Fire Department made a presentation to a Legion meeting in regard to the Legion purchasing one piece of equipment from a list including 'the jaws of life', a roof cutter. and several other pieces of life- saving equipment which might be crucial to the rapid and safe removal of an injured motorist from an accident -damaged vehicle. Some Legion members at the meeting asked if the Legion could afford to Thanks to the following who provided the data and information: Rick Smith - Secretary Glen Robinson - Treasurer Bart DeVries - Public Relations Eric Heywood - Renovations -a, moue 000010 SWUM 11011011111 001001 00001 0000100/0/ MOM � 10 --1- w0rwiw0w— ammo.11, �sw■w UO-- $00$00e MI100 00000 • a.-.00.01.�...WI N • -ammo WNW Mews AMP' WINOS 111111111111111 MMUS MOW : r-.wrw 1■1� WM= 011.11111111 MOM a MUM 11111111111101111 100-10-. �aa-i11M-Or--r-.0..1.. 000 000106 01000110/0/00 00001 01- 00100 011111110 Y -■-00 11 ,,eso-- 11010011 111- 00000 001-.--1-1■ 0- 10 memo --1- mom iiI--- xa -.-1 4011010100/1/0 IIIUMM.1-g..1-■■0000100000 WOWS 0000 1-1-----10I--1--. MOW 001100001010 00100000111110 00011110 01000 0110001.11=01 0001 00101111111 MIA0,0001 044411411111•011•0 s■s■Z-�11-m0�^-� `ii. - 411111111.100111 1w11-1 VIM UMW donate enough money to buy all the pieces of equipment because our com- munity needed them all, and in November the Exeter Fire Department receiv- ed 810,000 to purchase every piece of the needed equipment. ' In 1985, South Huron Hospital received two donations totalling $6,000 to pur- chase specific equipment needed at the hospital, including a Nerve Stimula- tion machine and a Blood Sampling machine. Legion members wanted our community to have the best equipnient possible. If we were to take the Exeter Legion out of the community over the past years, we would find a great deal missing and missed. In addition to its philanthropic endeavors, the Exeter Legion also pays its way in the community. The following chart points out just the major areas involved. J11u,1n11uu,1,1,111p1u1I11111111111111111II1111111I1111111I111,111,1,1n,1u11u11uuuu,1nuunnnuu11ulAuul_ 1 CHART E - Wages and Expenses • Wage or Expense 1985-86 1986-87 Average ▪ Wages - Bar Tenders $29742 $29952 $29847 E - Cleaning 10523 8809 9666 _ - Maintenance - 11937 - 5968 E Total - $45481 = E Exeter P.U.C. Bills 11694 10392 11043 E Exeter Taxes 5230 4080 - 4655 3 • Lotto Licenses 1310 1355 1332 • c Total - $17030 m▪ umm un11muniti m11I1moti1III1I111111IIll um mmiummommummuulnumunu mE As Chart E points out, the Exeter Legion pays over $17,000 annually into town and P.U.C. coffers. Also, it provides more than $45,000 each year in wages to members of our community. The Exeter Legion is a good corporate citizen. The Exeter Legion is just completing Phase I of renovations to its building involving areas which are used by the general community. Those attending banquets, dances, bingos and other community activities in the Legion hall will be pleasantly surprised by the changes. The side entrance area has been totally rebuilt to help accomodate the han- dicapped with completely remodelled entrance, foyer and washroom areas. The washrooms now include facilities for the physically handicapped, and to further aid the handicapped, an elevator has been installed. A person in a wheelchair will be able to gain easy access to the Legion hall to attend community functions by entering at the side entrance and riding the elevator to the second floor, and will also be able to use the elevator to go down to the handicapped washroom areas on the main floor. The installation of the elevator necessitated extensive alterations to the se- cond floor entrance -cloakroom areas. Phase I has been extremely costly to the Legion, over $100,000 has been spent so far. An official opening to highlight these renovations to the public is anticipated for the fall of 1987. And then, of course, the Legion has commitments to its members. • Phase II of the renovations involves work on the bar, the Canadian (dart) room, and the Ladies Auxiliary room - areas at the rear of the building downstairs. These renovations will also be very costly, nearly $50,000. The Exeter Legion will have to draw in its belt a notch for a year or two to help finance this phase. The 'garage' sale run by the Ladies Auxiliary on August 22 was only the first of the fund-raising activities to help finance these extensive but needed renovations. What is the future of the Exeter Legion in the community'' Whether we want to face up to it or not, those grey legionnaires in their blue blazers that were introduced in the first paragraph will be disappearing at an alarming rate over the last thirteen years of this century. As the years inevitably take their toll on our oldest comrades there must be a continuing infusion of youth into the Legion ranks if Branch 167 of the Royal Canadian Legion is to survive. Former and serving members of the regular and reserve armpd forces will not be able to fill the void in our area. In this community, sons and daughters of veterans are the only real hope our Legion has of making the transition which will be so crucial in the com- ing years. Since 1982, veterans' sons and daughters are entitled to Associate Member- ship in the Legion which includes all the rights and privileges of regular members. Including"our current president, the Exeter Legion has had three presidents and several Executive members who are Associate Members. Many more sons and daughters of veterans are needed in our membership to carry on the worthwhile traditions and community support and involve- ment of the organization. If you know someone who is eligible for Associate Membership, please relay this information. If you are a veteran's son or daughter you should seriously consider member- ship in the Legion. Contact the Membership Chairperson by calling the Ex- eter Legion now. The R. E. Pooley Branch invites you to join an organization in which your enthusiasm, energy and new ideas will be welcomed, and in which you can enjoy excellent facilities, social and sports activities, and that special com- radeship unique to legionnaires. Members of the Legion know that their organization is based on service - service to those who need assistance -and support in our community. As you can see from the data and information presented, the loss of Legion support and help in the future would be extremely detrimental to many areas of our community. With your help and understanding the Exeter Legion will continue to make a significant contribution to our community and our Canadian way of life. r1 ••.- �x. ,'M..+,ns!aM1+w. �musm�•u1� ■O -w -*■ i •x0.a»11-.-,.,.a+I.0w,..aww.s,.r �-� �ww s-sasr wIaM-P-■-+■1, i�lw- l -'� NNW. 0.1101111 MOMS *M N10~ aAM—NINOA --11-100110 0010100 000011111-1- .- 011q -1.01./1c-1- -1111.1 !e» mom I+iOaa101.410•1111----O-----�01■ PAW,. ~ mom mei IImeow. ■■-o. Vicq Clay Murray ( Youth/Education ) , 1 ■ 000, Wm0IM1Na�cs sswwmsrsas 7 1004 :'.> 011 ♦ 411""''°'P w .-: e rail. 1.O■110— mime.ei -omow OMPOIR 4�1sss�wAa•+ �m1�"M,r s 111wosaa.w�s ,.1416m....,.►»+w, .r-----1mom -wa-axar¢+ law, • MOWS -N-- 0-0 000$0, .zeal-� Owamus$r MOM ,.Y. 0..01r��M�I�,,00010 A-- �00001M0- 60100 MM�■ O10111s -.w-w �11/,1,,.1 , -.�,-w1■-.1.101-- � ...wrs.den "�i�Yciw■-w • HELP FOR FIREMEN — In 1984, the local Legion branch donated ref. . et' _01.01 $10,000 to the Exeter volunteer fire department for equipment.