Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Honor fallen warriors and contribute to the continuing needs of veterans on National Poppy Day on Friday is the message the Glenville American Legion Auxiliary is trying to promote. Members of Glenville Unit No. 264 will distribute bright red poppies in exchange for a donation in Glenville once they are able to open the doors in their community.

The Flanders Fields poppy has become an internationally known and recognized symbol of the lives sacrificed in war and the hope that none died in vain. The American Legion family called upon Congress to proclaim the Friday before Memorial Day as National Poppy Day, which was officially designated as such in 2017.

“Wearing the poppy on National Poppy Day and throughout Memorial Day weekend is one small way to honor and remember our fallen warriors who willingly served our nation and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” said ALA Unit President Sandy Fredrickson. “We must never forget.”

The poppy also honors hospitalized and disabled veterans who handcraft many of the red crepe paper flowers. Making the poppies provides a financial and therapeutic benefit to the veterans, as well as a benefit to thousands of other veterans.

When the American Legion family adopted the poppy as its memorial flower in the early 1920s, the blood-red icon became an enduring symbol of honor for the sacrifices of veterans from the battlefields of France in World War I to today’s global war on terror. The American Legion Auxiliary raises about $4 million each year distributing poppies throughout the nation, with 100% of the funds raised going directly to help veterans, military and their families.

For more information, call 507-383-3776. You may also mail a donation to the ALA at 331 W. Main, Glenville, MN 56036 and earmark it “Poppy fund.” During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Unit No. 264 members will distribute poppies throughout the year. Once they can open, there will be containers at the local establishments to donate for veterans programs.