Cowboy Dan unveils his theft-proof poppy box
Former pro wrestler goes to the mat for Canadian veterans with invention
Back in the 1980s, he was known around the world as Cowboy Dan, a formidable competitor who would also make his mark for coming up with the idea for the stepladder match — a pro wrestling tradition where the title belt is hung above the ring, the winner being the guy to climb the ladder first and grab it.
So when Dan Kroffat learned last year that thieves stole more than $3,000 from poppy fund boxes in Cochrane and Calgary, he got fighting mad.
“I was pretty pissed off, if I can use that term,” he says. “I thought, ‘there’s nothing worse than stealing from veterans.’”
It’s also not surprising that the enterprising former wrestler also decided then and there to try to build a better mousetrap, poppy fund style.
“I thought, ‘How hard can it be to make a box that is theftproof?’” he says. “I sat down and started thinking about what could be done.”
On Friday, Kroffat was at the Cochrane Toyota dealership unveiling a prototype of his antitheft poppy collection box to a throng of media. He was supported by a large group of friends, veterans, Canadian Legion officials and others who have helped him make his vision a reality.
The box, made from composite steel, comes with a wire that can be attached to a hard surface, like a retail outlet counter. The poppies are displayed in a container surrounding the box.
“It’s a box, but for us it means a whole lot more than that,” says Alex Baum, the dealer principal of Cochrane Toyota and a longtime friend of Kroffat’s who helped finance the cost of manufacturing the boxes. “It’s to help those veterans who have served our country so well.”
The poppy fund drive, which helps legions across the country provide services and assistance to veterans and their families, is an honoured tradition in Canada in the lead-up to Nov. 11 Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Over the years, it has helped to provide everything from lowrental housing and care facilities for elderly vets, to transportation for disabled veterans and medical appliances.
Still, some people can’t keep their hands off those vital collection boxes, no matter how vulnerable its recipients. The need for an innovation to combat theft was made glaringly apparent in the past couple of years. In late 2014, one man was charged after 18 boxes were stolen from various locations around Calgary and Cochrane.
Kroffat spearheaded a local drive to help recoup the money — and ended up raising $9,000 for local legions. He then went to people like Baum to see if they’d be interested in helping him create a theft-proof poppy donation box.
“With any idea, you need to have a team around you,” says Kroffat, who got several local businesses and individuals onside in his charitable effort. “I had momentum and support, so I knew I could do this.”
Working with a local manufacturer, Kroffat went through various designs before settling on the prototype, of which 50 were made. Those boxes will be distributed throughout Cochrane, joining the 200 regular boxes in spots around town.
According to Dave Usherwood of the Cochrane Legion, his volunteers will keep a close eye on this year’s drive, comparing the success of the prototype boxes with the traditional ones.
“It was a golden opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” says Usherwood, who says his branch of the Royal Canadian Legion has the tacit approval of Legion headquarters to test out the boxes. “It’s certainly worth a try.”
The new boxes will be placed in locations where there is a higher opportunity for what Kroffat calls “spontaneous theft,” which he thinks is behind the lion’s share of missing boxes.
“It’s not something premeditated,” he says, “but more a crime of opportunity. If we make it harder to just grab and run, I think it’ll have a major effect.”
If all goes well with the Cochrane pilot project, Kroffat — who plans to hand over patent rights to the Canadian Legion if the prototype is a hit — hopes to see legions across the country start using his boxes.
“These first ones cost about $35 each to make, but we can do it in a composite of plastic that in mass production will be a fraction of the cost,” he says.
Along with collecting more funds to help veterans, he also hopes to create greater awareness of the need to support those returning soldiers year-round.
“We have thousands of veterans living below the poverty line, living on the streets, suffering from PTSD,” says the retired wrestler who now fights for those in need. “Our vets deserve our gratitude and our support.”