Stronger Together

Happy New Year to Our Members and Friends of Branch 613!

I am hoping that you and your families have enjoyed the holidays, and you have been able to get some rest and relaxation.

As we put 2025 in our rear-view mirrors, a lot of good things have happened at the Branch, laying a solid foundation for 2026. Our membership levels have remained steady, and we are approaching 300 members.

Our 3 primary renovation projects have been completed, namely our walk-in cooler, the washrooms adjacent to the Lloyd King hall and our new accessible front entrance. We are currently working with our funding partners to arrange for a celebratory gathering. Two other major purchases were also completed in 2025, with the installation of a new commercial dishwasher in our kitchen and a new rooftop unit that provides heat and cooling to the refurbished washrooms and front entrance.

The kitchen and catering team had another busy year providing delicious meals to attendees of various functions held in both the lounge and Lloyd King Hall. The team also catered several functions outside of the Legion. The kitchen and catering team’s continuing efforts are a significant reason why our Branch remains on a solid financial footing.

The Lloyd King Hall continues to be a very active gathering place, regularly hosting exercise classes for seniors, cards, darts and cornhole competitions, amongst other activities. Thanks to the efforts of our members who excelled in shuffleboard competitions in 2025, our Branch will host the Zone, District, and Provincial shuffleboard competitions in 2026.

The 2025 Poppy Campaign was once again successful thanks to the support of the Pelham community. Over $23,500 was raised during this year’s campaign. A special shout-out to the Rotary Club of Fonthill, our 2025 kick-off sponsor! We also had a very successful Literary and Poster contest in which students participated from 4 schools. The Veterans Banner program continues to expand, as we now have 72 veterans who are honoured through this initiative. Thanks to the Town council and Town staff, 2 commemorative crosswalks and 2 Veterans benches were also commissioned in 2025.

Branch 613 provided scholarships to Notre Dame, Centennial and E.L. Crossley high schools and a bursary to a Broadcasting student of Niagara College. Donations to various initiatives and foundations were also made through our Poppy fund, General account, and Bingo account. All in all, these donations amounted to over $25,000.

I would be remiss not to mention those members who we lost in 2025. Gone but never forgotten are Jerry Allen, Pat Dilts, Shirley Krysa, Tim Lukas, Lionel Rochette, Marlene Stirtzinger, Mark Thomas, Ron Walker, Ed Woods, and our former Treasurer and Membership Chair, Debbie Gullett. Lest we forget, lest we forget.

In closing and on behalf of the Legion Executive, I wish you all the best in 2026, and we look forward to visiting with you at the Branch. We encourage all members to attend our monthly membership meetings and get involved! There are some great synergies happening at Branch 613.

Kindest regards,
Toni McKelvie
President, Branch 613