Educator Anna Guérin of France was inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields, written in 1915 by Canadian LCol John McCrae. During the American Legion convention in 1920, Mme. Guérin shared her vision for an “Inter-Allied Poppy Day”: on Armistice Day (November 11th), Allied countries would distribute artificial poppies that had been created by French widows and orphans. The poppies would honour citizens who gave their lives during WWI, and raise money to support the families of fallen or wounded soldiers.
In July 1921, the poppy was adopted as the official Flower of Remembrance by the Great War Veterans Association. Its successor, the Royal Canadian Legion, continues to conduct an annual Poppy Campaign to support Canadian veterans and their families.
More information about the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, and how to order a special commemorative pin, can be found at https://legion.ca/remembrance/poppy-100-anniversary
For this year’s Remembrance event, the KMFRC Veteran Family Program Coordinator and Parenting Support Specialist have created a Poppy Walk. Use the maps and information at https://kmfrc.com/poppywalk to explore local monuments and Legions that commemorate Kingston citizens who have served.
We also invite you to check out family-friendly Remembrance trivia, book lists, activities and more, which will be posted on the Kingston MFRC Facebook page from November 5th to 11th.
By Leigh Wood Landry,
Special Needs Inclusion and Parenting Support Specialist Worker
KMFRC