Editor:
The Charter for the Ladies Auxiliary to Gibsons Legion # 109 was issued Feb. 23, 1933.
The Ladies Auxiliary has been a support organization for the Legion. We’ve raised funds by catering lunches, dinners and memorials to support veterans and the community.
In the early years, ladies (and some men) joined to help returning WWI and WWII veterans. As the years passed members joined because their parents or grandparents were part of the Legion or Auxiliary.
We have been giving back to the community that raised us. We have been giving back to an organization we can be proud of.
We’ve done a monthly lunch for all senior Legion members who’ve chosen to attend and a special veterans lunch to coincide with Legion Week.
The members have voted on which community organizations receive our money.
This past year we helped buy two new stoves for the kitchen, a new heating/air-conditioning unit for the hall and new ceiling tiles for the bar.
We also donated three bursaries to Elphinstone Secondary and one bursary to the Alternative School. Other organizations we donated to this year were the Salvation Army Food Bank, St. Bart’s Food Bank, St. Hilda’s Cold Weather Shelter, Arrowhead, veterans PTSD fund, Kidney Foundation, Sunshine Coast Navy League, Veterans Homes Brock Fahrni and George Derby, to name a few.
That’s a total of more than $38,000 to the Legion and the community.
Sadly, after almost 84 years in operation, we have voted to surrender our Charter. Many of our members are in their 80s and 90s. With few new members joining, we were unable to form an executive for the coming year.
Hopefully at some point, the Ladies Auxiliary will start again, but until then please contact the branch at 604-886-2411 for your catering needs.
Lera Schwindt, Eileen Hare, Paulette Collins, executive members, L.A. # 109 Gibsons Legion
