An update from Dominion Command to its branches (note that items only relevant to branch executive or for Canadian branches have been removed).

Updates from National Headquarters 

September 2022   Share this email Keep your Branch informed Forward this email to your Branch Executives, Committee Members and other members to keep them up-to-date on important updates and information. All Branch emails are also available on the Member Services Website In this edition – September 2022 > Mourning the passing of Her Majesty > Add your local Legion Remembrance Day Ceremony to Legion.ca > Using the Poppy trademark > Pilgrimage of Remembrance: Call for Applications > Thousands of CAF members eligible for compensation > The Last Post Fund > Veterans’ chronic pain research study > Attract new members to your Branch! > Messages from our partners The Royal Canadian Legion mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II It is with deep sorrow that the Legion mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. Legion Headquarters issued a news release with a statement from the Dominion President. View news release  ‣ We also are sharing a message from The Grand President, Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, on the passing of Her Majesty. View message  ‣ Official Photo of King Charles III Legion National Headquarters has contacted Rideau Hall requesting an official photo of King Charles III for each Legion Branch. Once available, the photo will be shipped directly to Branches for display. Your Branch will be notified prior to shipment. Add your local Legion Remembrance Day Ceremony to Legion.ca People visiting the Legion’s website can search for the location of their local Remembrance Day Ceremony here. We encourage all Branches hosting a Remembrance Day Ceremony to add your event to the site. This tool, which will be widely promoted during the Remembrance period, will allow Legion Branches to share when and where they are holding Remembrance Day ceremonies. Branches can submit their ceremony details through the online form. Add your Ceremony  ‣ Using the Poppy Trademark as the Remembrance period approaches As the Remembrance period nears, Legions, organizations and communities will be looking for ways to honour Canada’s Veterans. Help safeguard the trademark Poppy insignia as a symbol of Remembrance. Spread that word that use of the trademark Remembrance Poppy requires permission of Dominion Command for commercial or charitable display or public distribution. Please direct public inquiries to: www.legion.ca/poppy-trademark. See the educational flyer for Branches below that highlights important information about the Poppy trademark, and requirements for use. Download the flyer  ‣ Call for Applications for the Pilgrimage of Remembrance 2023 The Legion National Foundation is now accepting applications for Legion members to represent their Provincial Command and the Legion in the 2023 Pilgrimage of Remembrance, July 8 to 22, 2023. Selected individuals will share a once in a lifetime journey visiting the First and Second World War battlegrounds, museums, commemorations, and final resting places of soldiers who fought in and around Normandy, France and Belgium. See the memo and application form for details. Completed application form, with Provincial Command signature, must be received by October 31, 2022 for consideration. 2023 Pilgrimage memo  ‣ | Pilgrimage application form  ‣ Thousands of CAF members eligible for compensation for drinking contaminated water Former residents of CFB Valcartier may be eligible for financial compensation due to a ruling regarding contaminated water sources between 1995 and 2006. In 2012, the Quebec Superior Court ruled that the Department of National Defense (DND), SNC-Lavalin and General Dynamics should pay millions of dollars to those who lived on-base or in the neighbouring municipality of Shannon, Quebec, where water was contaminated with the dangerous carcinogenic trichloroethylene. It’s estimated that thousands of former CFB Valcartier residents may be entitled to compensation, which could total hundreds of thousands of dollars. Any person who believes they are eligible should visit actioncollectiveshannon.ca for more information. The deadline to apply is January 2023. The Last Post Fund The Last Post Fund’s mission is to ensure that no Veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, as well as a military gravestone, due to insufficient funds at the time of death. Our Veterans Affairs Canada Programs provide financial assistance for the funeral, burial and headstone of eligible Canadian and Allied Veterans. Help promote the Last Post Fund to your members with the attached poster. Download the poster  ‣ Veterans with chronic pain invited to participate in research study Currently serving and retired Canadian Veterans are invited to participate in “Resilient Valor – Improving Veteran’s Well-Being in Their Transition to Thrive”, a research study that aims to captures the needs of Veterans with chronic pain. The University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy is working on this project to provide opportunities for Canadian Veterans to express which components of resiliency are most meaningful in terms of navigating and negotiating their pain management needs. Help promote this opportunity with the poster below! Download the poster  ‣ Branch Membership Administration Resources and tips to support your Membership Chair + 2023 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL STICKERS 2023 stickers have been mailed to Branches for all members renewed for 2022 by July 28, 2022. If you have not received your 2023 stickers, please reach out to Member Services. + Attract new members with these programs! The more members we have, the better the Legion can serve Canada’s Veterans. Promote the following free offers at your Branch to help attract new members: Veterans Welcome Program: Serving and retired CAF and RCMP members are eligible for a free first year of membership Veterans Family Welcome Program: Veterans’ family members, including spouses, children 18+, parents and/or guardians can get a free first year of membership MemberPerks®: All members in good standing have access to our free member benefits program! Over 30,000 Legion members have registered and saved over $500,000 at thousands of stores and restaurants across Canada * Free Membership Offers only available for first time Legion members. + Make membership renewal easier As we prepare for the busiest time of the year for membership renewals, we encourage you to collect, confirm and update member email addresses and phone numbers within the membership website. You can update a member profile online, or use this Excel template to share member contact information with Member Services. With this information, we can send reminders to your members on your behalf to renew via one of these options: at your local branch by contacting member services by phone or online. Reminder: 34% of all Legion members renewed online during 2021 and this number continues to grow during 2022! With this approach, we can help save local Branches and membership chairs time and money! Get access to Marketing and PR resources Regularly update your Branch login passwords Branches are advised to update their login passwords when there has been a change to the individuals who access secure Branch information. It is important for Branches to ensure a secure login password to prevent unauthorized access to your Branch account. Branches can update their Member Services Website password by logging into the portal, clicking the ‘Profile’ link on the left-hand side and then clicking ‘Change Password’ at the bottom of the page. Contact the Member Services Department for questions or assistance. PR Tip of the Month Review the Poppy Manual If you are a PR representative, it’s important to generally understand the Poppy Manual and what Poppy Funds can be used for. This helps when dealing with members of the public requesting funding, or with colleagues considering a project. Poppy manual  ‣ Have questions or need advice? Contact your Command Public Relations Officer or Nujma Bond, Dominion Command Communications at nbond@legion.ca Your Legion calendar October includes a number of mental health awareness days. This is a good opportunity to educate the public about our mental health supports for Veterans. Learn about October’s mental health awareness days and other important dates your Branch can promote or organize activities for. Download the 2022 calendar  ‣ MemberPerks®: Exclusive offers and preferred pricing through Venngo MemberPerks® is more than a member benefit package. It’s also a tool Branches can use to promote membership. Plus, you can partner with local businesses in your community to offer exclusive discounts for your members. Learn more  ‣ Partner promotions The following is brought to you by our partners, highlighting special offers and other information. Special offer from Legion Magazine If you have any questions, please contact Member Services and we will be pleased to assist. 1-855-330-3344 or membership@legion.ca Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST Working together to serve Canada’s Veterans. Click here if you are having trouble viewing this message Copyright © 2022 The Royal Canadian Legion. All rights reserved. Administrative emails from Legion National Headquarters are sent to the email address on file for your local Legion Branch. If this is no longer the correct email address for your Branch, please forward this email to the new contact and request the Branch update their contact information. The Branch may update the email address at any time by updating their Branch Profile on the Member Services Website or by contacting Member Services. Learn more about All Branch emails. Our contact information is: The Royal Canadian Legion National Headquarters Member Services Department 86 Aird Place Ottawa, ON K2L 0A1 Canada Toll free: 855‑330‑3344 E-mail: membership@legion.ca