We make a difference in the lives of Veterans and their families, provide essential services within our community, and Remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country.
Keep up with what is happening at the Fonthill Legion. We offer a range of activities and Friday Night Dinners.
Explore just what we have to offer both our members and our local community through our collection of photos related to Remembrance Day and so much more.
Happy New Year to our Members and Friends of Branch 613
I am hoping that you and your families have enjoyed the holidays so far and you have been able to get some rest and relaxation.
As we approach the beginning of the new year, I wish to remind everyone of our New Year’s Day levee. Our branch opens at 1:00 pm on January 1st and the levee begins at 2:00 pm. We hope to see you there!
As we begin to put 2023 in our rear-view mirrors, a lot of good things have happened at the Branch this year, laying a solid foundation for 2024. Our membership has expanded in 2023 and we are on the cusp of surpassing 300 members.
This year, the Branch received 3 grants from various agencies to effect repairs, improve accessibility and renew infrastructure. A walk-in cooler will be installed in 2024, thanks to a $25,000 grant from FCC Agrispirit. We received a grant for $45,322 to upgrade the washrooms off the Lloyd King Hall from the Enabling Accessibility Fund from the Government of Canada. Finally, we received a grant in the amount of $148,900 from the Ontario Trillium Fund to build a new front entrance of the Branch.
Other upgrades/improvements were also made including the new storage room in the Lloyd King Hall and presently a group of dedicated Legion volunteers are putting the finishing touches on a totally renovated men’s washroom in the Lounge area. We were also able to replace one of the heating and cooling units for the Lloyd King Hall at a cost of approximately $18,000 plus HST. The monies for these projects came out of general funds.
Branch elections were held in May of this year resulting in 2-year terms for all those elected. There are a handful of new executive members who were elected or appointed to positions. This bodes well for succession planning purposes.
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 held outside of the Legion and continued to produce Heat and Serve meals throughout the year. Since the Heat and Serve initiative began during the early stages of the pandemic, this remarkable team has produced over 32,000 meals! Friday night dinners have also been very successful in 2023.
The Lloyd King Hall continues to be a very active gathering place, hosting weekly Axe Throwing competitions as well as Friday night Cornhole competitions. And speaking of the Axe Throwers, we thank them for their fundraising efforts on our behalf again this year resulting in a $10,000 donation to the Branch. We also thank Chambers Insurance for hosting a golf tournament for us this year that raised over $8,000.
The 2023 Poppy Campaign established a high mark for donations. Almost $22,000 was raised during this year’s campaign. We also had a very successful Literary and Poster contest in which we had 66 students participate from 5 schools. The Veterans Banner initiative continues to grow as we now have 61 veterans who are honoured through this initiative with at least 5 new veterans being added for 2024. Finally, on the Poppy front, we donated over $25,000 this year from our Poppy Fund.
I would be remiss not to mention those members that we lost in 2023. Gone but never forgotten are Bill Ashby, David Barrett, Barb Connell, Jim Davis, Ron Law, Gerry Letford, Bob Neilson, Don Sabo, Leonard Sabo, and Robert Spark. Former Branch President, Don Cotter also passed this year. Lest we forget, lest we forget!
In closing and on behalf of the Legion Executive, I wish you all the best in 2024 and I look forward to seeing you sometime at the Branch. We have some great synergies happening at our Branch and with more volunteers, we can keep things moving forward at our Talbot Trail Branch.
Kindest regards,
Toni McKelvie
Branch President
2023 Poppy Campaign: Updates
Total donations to this year’s campaign as of November 22, 2023, are $21,816.15. Our goal was $20,000 so we exceeded our goal by 9%. We are extremely grateful to all those individuals, organizations, associations, and entities which donated to our campaign. Pelham is an amazing community, and we thank everyone for their generosity.
Campaign expenses amounted to $3,719.71. Expenses include the purchase of poppies, poppy bracelets, poppy centers, poppy pins, poppy stickers, coin boxes and trays, inscribed ribbons for wreaths, stamps for postage, coin wrappers, awards for the Poster and Literary contest winners and cadets luncheon costs for canvassing on October 29, 2023. Shipping costs and HST also form part of the expenses.
Our Remembrance Day service was very well attended. We estimate that between 550 and 600 people attended the service and this total represents a high mark for attendance in Veterans Park. We thank the citizens of Pelham and surrounding areas for taking the time to attend the service and honour our Veterans. We also thank all the Remembrance Day service participants for their contributions to our service including our sound technician. The feedback we have received about the service has been very positive.
Once again, the staff and students of Niagara College’s, Broadcasting, Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program live-streamed our service, enabling those who wished to watch the service from the comforts of their home, office, or elsewhere to do so.
Forty-five wreaths were laid in Veterans Park prior to the November 11th service. Wreaths were also placed at Centennial Park in Fenwick, at the Ridgeville cenotaph and at the memorial in Peace Park for Remembrance Day observance. On November 8th, we also placed a wreath at the cenotaph in Veteran’s Park and had a ceremony to recognize Indigenous Veterans Day. We thank all those who sponsored a wreath during this year’s campaign.
The Veterans Banner program continues to grow in popularity. This year, there were banners on the utility poles honouring 61 veterans along Pelham Street, Pelham Town Square, Summersides Blvd., and Wellspring Way. We already have interest from 5 new families wishing to participate in the banner program beginning next year.
This year’s edition of the Poster and Literary contest was also very successful. With 66 entries from the students of five schools, the judges had a challenging time choosing between the submissions. In addition to the students, we thank the parents and teachers for encouraging participation in the contest. Postcards made by students were also handed out to Veterans attending our November 11th service. What a wonderful way to honour our Veterans.
Finally, all of this cannot be achieved without the help of many, including the Poppy Campaign volunteers, our Lincoln and Welland Regiment cadets and their supervisors, the Ladies Auxilliary who actively canvassed on October 29th, the Niagara College staff and students, Remembrance Day service participants, Town of Pelham staff, Niagara Region staff, those individuals who assisted in the donation counting, the House and Grounds volunteers and our Kitchen staff who came in very early on November 11th, to prepare a breakfast for those assisting with the Remembrance Day service. Special mention to Jean Lalonde for tracking all donations and expenses during the campaign.
Good things happen when volunteers are committed to a cause and as Chair of this campaign, I extend my heartfelt thanks to all who made this 2023 campaign a very successful and memorable one.
Jim Garner
2023 Poppy Chair
Remembrance Day Livestream
Provided by Niagara College’s Broadcasting - Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program
Remembrance Day Service Program
2023 Poppy Campaign and Remembrance Day Service
Branch members have been meeting regularly since late August developing and finalizing our plans for the annual Poppy campaign and Remembrance Day service.
We know that in previous years in late October and early November, the citizens of Pelham have pinned a poppy to their lapels and then on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, they have paused for two minutes to honour and remember those who have served and continue to serve our country. For that, our Branch members and especially our veterans say, “thank you.”
This year, our Remembrance Day service will take place on November 11th, 2023, beginning at 10:45 a.m., in Veterans Park on Legion grounds. We invite the residents of Pelham to attend our service once again. If you wish to watch our service in the comfort of your home, the service will be livestreamed courtesy of Niagara College’s students and staff from the Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program. The live stream link is https://livestream.com/accounts/15502389/events/10989390. Weather permitting, there will be a fly-by during the service, sponsored by our town of Pelham.
Our annual Poppy campaign encompasses the period of October 27th to November 11th inclusive. Members of the planning committee will be distributing approximately 150 Poppy boxes to businesses and organizations throughout the Town. We are also pleased to announce that Sobeys franchisee, Ron Kore will be this year’s Poppy Campaign kick-off sponsor. Mr. Kore and Mayor Junkin will receive the first poppies of the campaign in a pinning ceremony that will take place on October 27th in Veterans Park beginning at 9:00 a.m.
We are asking the citizens of Pelham for your continuing support of our Poppy campaign which raises funds to sustain a variety of programs and initiatives to assist veterans and their families as well as sponsoring cadet and youth programs and making available bursaries for the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of our veterans. We also make financial donations to entities like Camp Maple Leaf, a not-for-profit sleepover camp for children of military families; the Homeless Veterans program, the Lincoln and Welland Regiment army cadets, the Niagara Health Foundation, and the Juravinski Cancer Centre through our Poppy Fund. More information on the uses of the Poppy Fund can be found at www.on.legion.ca.
If you are inclined to support our campaign in 2023 without accessing the Poppy collection boxes, you can send us a cheque payable to the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 613. We also accept payment at our Branch via cash, credit card or debit card. You can also donate by using e-transfer at [email protected]. Under the “comments” section, please insert “Poppy Fund donation.” Please note the best time to visit the Branch is between the hours of 12:00 p.m., to 7:00 p.m., each calendar day. Finally, there are two “Poppy tap boxes” available for use during this year’s campaign. They will be in Sobeys in Fonthill and Devries Farm Market in Fenwick.
On October 10th, Town of Pelham staff hung our Veterans banners on the light poles in the downtown core, along Meridian Way and Summersides Boulevard. This year, we will have 61 veterans being honoured on these banners. The banners will remain in place until after Remembrance Day. Legion members encourage you to drive around our Town and view these banners. As always, we are thankful for the Town’s commitment to our Veterans banner program.
Legion members will also be laying wreaths for Remembrance Day at the cenotaphs in Peace Park, Ridgeville and in Centennial Park in Fenwick. We are pleased to advise that Town staff will be attending to these cenotaphs and providing horticultural upgrades and beautification services to each in time for November 11th. Again, we thank the Town staff and council for their ongoing support.
Finally, on November 8th, Branch 613 will lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Veterans Park in honour of Indigenous veterans during a ceremony that takes place beginning at 11:00 a.m.
On behalf of all our veterans, we thank you in advance for your continuing support of our Poppy campaign, Remembrance Day service and related activities.
Best regards,
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 613
The Long Story Short – Rememberance Day Special
Canadian Warplane Museum, Canadian Legion Fonthill Branch 613, WW2 Vets
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President's Message
On behalf of all of our members and especially our veterans, I extend a warm welcome to you! Our Talbot Trail Branch has been a part of the Town of Pelham for over 50 years and we take pride in being an active service club who provides support to our veterans and their families; to entities like the Niagara Health System, Hamilton Health Sciences and Wellspring Niagara and to local community initiatives.
Our legion is located right across the street from the Fonthill Marketplace Plaza on Highway 20 and is home to Veterans Park. I invite you to stop by at any time when the Branch is open and you will be sure to experience a warm welcome in our licenced patio and lounge.
The Lloyd King banquet hall with a capacity of approximately 225 people is fully accessible and is available for parties, weddings, stag and does, community fundraising events, wedding anniversaries and funeral luncheons. Our legion volunteers will also provide catering services upon request.
While being a member is not a requirement to attend the Branch, we do encourage you to consider joining the Royal Canadian Legion and assist our members in fulfilling one of our primary responsibilities, that being, Honouring Veterans is Our Duty!
Sincerely,
Toni McKelvie
Recent News
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Our Poster and Literary contest for Remembrance Day 2023 was very successful. We thank the 66 students…
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