Meet Your 2011 Executive

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Our Cenotaph

The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit, community-based organization whose mandate is to promote remembrance and bring help to veterans in need. One of our many activities throughout the year is the Remembrance Day ceremonies. The Russell Branch coordinates and supports the ceremonies held in five neighbouring towns (Casselman, Vars, Limoges, Embrun, and Russell) every year. These are also the towns where we are most active in supporting the area’s veterans of the Second World War, Korea, and our new veterans (Service veterans, United Nations Peacekeeper Vets, NATO Vets, Afghanistan War Vets).

The Celtic Fest, held in June was a resounding success and your executive has voted to continue this event next year  and try to make it bigger and better. We also joined the Ladies Auxiliary in August to honour and show our appreciation with a Chicken B.B.Q. to our Afghan Veterans for their service. As a result our Branch was invited to participate in an event at the Leitrim Base where we came away from with commitments to participate in our Remembrance day events. Our participation in the Russell Fair by offering B.B.Q.'d Ribs was an outstanding success as we sold out Congratulations to all the organizers and volunteers who helped make these events successful.

The summer months have passed and the fall leaves are falling signaling the arrival of our busy fall, winter and spring season. Your executive members have been very busy planning and organizing some very impressive events such as: Oktoberfest to be held on October 21st in our upstairs hall, the Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony on 11 November, and the Neil Diamond Tribute "A Diamond in the Rough" by Joe Purpura scheduled for November 19 in our upstairs hall. Also, plans are underway to organize a VOLKSMARCH in May of next year. Keep watching our website for more details on any of these events.

Additionally, our Sports leagues are starting up again and a Darts League is once more present in our Legion. The Dart Boards have been bought/donated and installed. The Pool and Shuffle Board Leagues are back again.

I am also advised that by the time you read this, chicken wings and nachos will be on the menu in our Lounge in addition the the regular fare.

Our Membership Chair wants to remind everyone that early bird  2012 membership renewal time is here. She will send out reminder notices but asks that everyone who has e-mail provide it to her so that we can easily and more economically provide our news to you. There are still some 2011 memberships that have not yet been renewed and she encourages these members to keep their membership up-to-date by coming in or renewing by mail.

In case you are not aware, as a result of revisions made to the regulations of our bylaws, our General Meetings are now held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in our upstairs hall. The months of July and August are exceptions.

I hope that each and every one had a great summer and that you will come out and enjoy the upcoming events.

Your President,

Hank Schippers
Branch President

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