Working to dispel the dated perception of the legion being a closed door, beer swilling, cigar smoking old boys’ club, the Sicamous branch is updating its look to reflect that, and what the organization actually does for the community.
“What we’re learning is, we’ve done so much in this community, and a lot of people really don’t understand who the Sicamous Legion is, and what we do,” president Bill Moore said, with the executive board aiming to change that. “In the last two years, we’ve probably given back over $100,000 back to the community for different programs.”
He added that they can’t keep any of the money made from the meat draws, just 15 per cent over a year for administrative costs, but the rest has to go back to the community with clear guidelines set on which groups they can give that funding to.
The Poppy Fund has an even stricter mandate on who that money can go to support as it’s solely for veterans, and recipients have to be approved by Legion BC/Yukon Command, such as the donation Sicamous was authorized to donate $10,000 to Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) last year.
Moore explained that the PADS organization trains PTSD dogs, which costs approximately $40,000 to do, and has heard they’re currently training a dog that may be going to a veteran in Sicamous, which is really what the Poppy Fund is all about.
“It’s very controlled, and that’s the part that people need to understand. Operation money is a hundred per cent from beer sales… that’s the income here,” board member Jeff Mallmes said, adding that hall and Gardom Lake cabin rentals also contribute to that. “And that all comes from the membership coming in here and supporting us.”
It’s not only the local membership, however, with the Sunday meat draw attracting people from Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong and even Kamloops, with some having told Moore that while they’re members elsewhere, Sicamous has the best legion around.
Through that support, and three New Horizons grants, the Sicamous Legion has been undergoing renovations and upgrades over the last five years to update the facility and attract more people. That includes an outdoor patio, new floor and ceiling installed last year, upgrades to the bathrooms and kitchen, a new façade on the exterior and will soon be redoing the bar. They also installed their own sound system so when they have live music, the band can just show up and play, saving a lot of time on set up and tear down. That, in turn, gets the legion a lower booking cost.
In addition to updating the bricks and mortar of the legion, the board has also updated the long-standing rule of no hats, finding it excluded a lot of the younger generation they’re trying to attract, “because every young person is wearing a hat,” Mallmes pointed out.
That was voted on by the general membership, as was a proposal to allow kids in the legion until 8 p.m., like any other licensed restaurant.
Mallmes added that these changes and advancements are only possible because of the people involved with the organization.
“If it wasn’t for the people that are involved in executive board, and volunteers… it takes the right people to make it successful,” he said.
“Everybody’s got to be rowing in the same direction,” board member Judy Moore added.
While the board has been modernizing the Sicamous branch, she also stressed that it is still an organization that is about the veterans.
“We’re kind of unique in some aspects in that we do have some of the memorabilia and the medals…” she said. “And when people come in here, yeah we’ve kind of fancied it up a little bit, but we’re still honouring the veterans.”
Membership is $55 a year, with announcements of the many events held there posted on the Facebook page.
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