(PHOTO: Dignitaries including Mayor Melissa Blake and Legion President Pat Duggan cut the ribbon at the grand re-opening of Legion Branch 165. Sarah Anderson. REPORTER. Copyright Rogers Media)
Following a more than $620,000 renovation the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 165 has been officially reopened to the public, to its members and most importantly to our region’s veterans.
“They can go in, and in a like environment, share their stories and feel a bit more comfortable, because for a lot of guys, especially guys who have been in the regular force long periods of time assimilating to civilian life is a bit of a trick,” said Pat Duggan, the President of Branch 165.
He explained the original purpose of the Legions were to help members of the armed forces come back to regular life. The newly renovated branch here in Fort McMurray will continue that long-standing tradition.
Of the nearly 400 members less than a quarter are veterans or service members. Duggan said the remainder are people who understand the cause and support the troops in Canada.
One of the challenges they face, Duggan said, is that many younger veterans, himself included, have trouble classifying themselves as such because they have not served in the Great War, World War Two or Korea.
“What we’ve done now is reaching out to our younger veterans, not forgetting our older veterans though and that’s the important part is bringing the two groups together and having them support one another,” said Duggan.
He said in the last year this branch has supported seven veterans with a total of $26,000 through funding for education, medical expenses, living expenses and more. That’s paid for through membership, facility rentals, dinner sales and more.
Those smaller sums also went toward the total costs of the renovations.
The municipality put forward $495,000 through a grant and the province contributed another $125,000 but Duggan said the renovations exceeded their budget and opearations money paid for the overdraft.
“Without the municipality and without the money given by the province, this certainly would not have happened, we had been facing a massive, long, uphill battle and fortunately they’ve given us the jumpstart we need,” he said.
With a fully renovated kitchen, club house and upstairs ball room the Legion can not only be a more welcoming space to the veterans and community members it serves but can also bring in the revenues it needs to do the work it wants to continue doing in the community.
“This is your legion,” Duggan said, speaking to the community at large. He said he wants everyone in Fort McMurray to know they are welcome to come for dinners, to rent the space for birthdays, weddings, retirement parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, teas, etc.
The money earned through facility rentals is then put right back into the community. The legion supports local cadet groups and local veterans.
Duggan said they also want to start a new program for the 10 per cent of the local homeless population who are made up people who have had service time.
“We’re developing a program to reach out to local vets to see if they want assistance and those who are able to accept it give them assistance and for the ones who don’t want it just give them a place and let them know it’s here, which is always the first step,” he said.
Duggan said the legion has become like a second home to him, especially because of the wholesome home-style cooking, and he said he hopes it becomes the same kind of place for people from all walks of life in Fort McMurray.
