Events and Activities : Poppy Day set for May 19; veterans to raise money to help others

Auxiliary Pres. Raela Uthoff and Post 57 Commander Bobbi Enos remind residents of Poppy Day May 19.

Vinton American Legion Auxiliary President Raela Uthoff presents the first red poppy to Vinton American Legion Commander Bobbi Enos at the Legion Hall; the members will be selling poppies to raise money to help other veterans.

Poppies will be available at Fareway, Theisen's and Ehlingers on Thursday, May 19, with Legion and Auxiliary members on hand to share them with the public and accept donations.

Quick Facts about the Poppy

The red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed protecting Americans’ freedom following publication of the wartime poem “In Flanders Fields” written by Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D., while serving on the front in WWI, to honor soldiers killed in battle.

The popularity of the red poppy as a memorial to those who sacrificed their lives in war began in November 1918 when Moina (pronounced mo-ee-na) Michael was so moved by Lt. Col. McCrae's poem that she bought a bouquet of poppies on impulse – all that New York City's Wanamaker's Department Store had – and handed them to businessmen meeting at the New York YMCA where she worked. She asked them to wear the poppy as a tribute to the fallen. WWI was over, but America's sons would rest forever “in Flanders Fields.” Later, Moina would spearhead a campaign that resulted in the adoption of the poppy as the national symbol of sacrifice. In 1923, the poppy became the official flower of The American Legion Family in memory of soldiers who fought on the battlefields during WWI.

Last year, American Legion Auxiliary members raised more than $5.5 million from poppy donations, 100 percent of which was used exclusively to support active-duty military, veterans, and their families through the Auxiliary’s outreach program services.

Veterans handcraft the flowers with assistance from unpaid volunteers. The veterans not only earn a small wage, which helps to supplement their incomes and makes them feel more self-sufficient, but the physical and mental activity provides many therapeutic benefits for the veteran.

A veteran who devotes five to six hours per day assembling the red crepe paper poppies can make as many as 2,000 to 3,000 poppies in a week.  Volunteers do not sell poppies – they “distribute” them, with a request that the person receiving the poppy make a donation to the poppy fund to support the Auxiliary’s veteran outreach programs.

Founded in 1919 to support the work of The American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary is recognized as the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization.