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Legions Helping Museum Campaign
By
W.H. Wilson OM CD*
Campaign General Manager
In an accompanying article, Lt. Col. Terry Thompson has
described the background to the formation of the "Canadian Military
Heritage Education Centre" here in the Province. When completed it will almost
equal the Canadian War Museum in size, and will be the only National Defence Museum
in Canada devoted to the history and heritage of all three Services.
The Centre will be committed to preserve our past,
to remember the individual and national military achievements of
Canadians, and to educate present and future generations about those
achievements. The primary function of the expanded Museum will be education, as
our children and the children of those that have and will adopt this country as their own,
must learn about it's proud heritage and history, and the sacrifices of those
who have helped defend and develop it.
In November of last year we wrote to the Alberta Command
with a proposal that they consider underwriting the capital cost of
construction and equipping an "interpretive" centre with an adjacent
"discovery room" designed for the use of education of school children,
cadets, cubs, scouts, guides and other youth groups. The Command's response was virtually
immediate and on March 25th the Campaign was presented with a cheque in the amount
of $150,000.
In late May of this year, we wrote to the 164 individual
Branches of the Legion suggesting that they might consider participating in the
Campaign. It was and is recognized that the Branches range significantly in size
and financial resources, and devote a major part of their available finances to
support local youth and senior citizen activities. However, we had suggested
that each Branch wishing to participate consider contributing whatever they
could comfortably afford. Contributions by a Branch can be committed over a
period to time, and their names will be listed on a plaque at the entrance to the Royal
Canadian Legion Interpretive Centre, grouped by amounts. No contribution will be
considered too small and we would obviously be very proud to indicate that we
have the support of every Branch in the Command.
The response to this appeal has been very positive and
in the short period of 90 days, we have received cheques from seven Branches
with promises of more to come. The total donations exceed $3000, the smallest being $50
from Branch #225 in Foremost, and the largest from Centennial Branch #285 in Calgary
for $1500.
All of these generous responses will be listed in our
Campaign Newsletter, and the participation of the Branches helps to communicate to
potential donors that our efforts are greatly supported by those closest to us.
The decision of these Branches is obviously very motivating.
Bill Wilson is a wartime Seaman (Gunner) and a retired postwar Naval Reserve Captain.