Those poppies you see everywhere around Memorial Day hold great significance. When you see them this year, take a moment to recognize the substantial price we pay for our freedom.    ~Bill

Wear your poppy proudly – spread the story

posted by: Peoria Times Thursday, April 9, 2015 2:44 pm

Every year, American Legion Auxiliary Units across America distribute more than 25 million poppies in remembrance of soldiers lost in service to our country. Originating from the presence of springtime red poppies blooming among rows of white crosses on the deserted battlefields of western Belgium and northern France following WWI, red poppies have become a symbol of the human sacrifice made for freedom.

In the poem entitled “In Flanders Fields,” written from the perspective of dying soldiers reaching out, the emotions of the battle come to life:

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

It is through their poppy distribution program that the women of the American Legion Auxiliary keep that faith and continue to hold the torch high. Poppies, which are blooming this time of year in Flanders fields, are distributed freely with the goal that every American will remember the human cost of the freedoms we enjoy.

And unlike “Big Box” charities that often spend heavily on heart rendering advertising and executive salaries, one hundred percent of donations that are received by Auxiliary volunteers for poppies are used exclusively to assist and support veterans and their families. For example, last year, nearly $2 million was allocated to disabled and hospitalized “wounded warrior” veterans. Smart consumers know that when they give to the American Legion Auxiliary’s poppy fund, their money goes directly to help veterans in need. Additionally, 90 percent of those funds will be spent in the communities where they were raised. The other 10 percent goes to the state level Auxiliary where it is used for state level veteran programs. That means that all donations made to a local volunteer or Auxiliary Unit in Arizona will help veterans in Arizona.

In the next few weeks, the John J Morris American Legion Auxiliary will be distributing poppies throughout the Sun City and Peoria communities. It is our hope that you will help keep the faith by wearing your poppy proudly and by sharing the poppy story with your children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends. We also hope that those with the means to make a donation will help the Arizona American Legion Auxiliary hold the Arizona torch high by making a contribution to the 2015 Poppy Fund.  – complete article –