Legion open to broadening community outreach

New dance floor? Done. Modernized kitchen? Coming. Outreach to the LGBTQ community? Sure. Why not.

Unlike many of its comrade organizations, the Kelowna Legion is in good shape from membership and financial perspectives.

“We’re not exactly thriving, but we’re not dying either,” past president John Cashin said Monday. “I’d say we’re holding our own.”

The Vernon Legion could be shuttered in a few months if volunteers can’t be found to fill key executive positions. In Peachland, the Legion has considered selling a property to finance repairs to its building, and the Penticton Legion has survived several near-death experiences in recent years.

But the Kelowna Legion, located on Bertram Street downtown, is the largest in the province outside the Lower Mainland. It had almost 900 members last year, most of whom have already renewed their memberships for 2018.

“Just the fact we’ve had so many renewals just two months into the year is significant,” Cashin said. “Usually, the renewals are more staggered throughout the year.”

Kelowna’s Legion benefits both from being located in the Okanagan’s largest city and the fact that about 21 per cent of the city’s population is over age 65. A requirement that Legion members be ex-servicemen was dropped many years ago, with the doors now open to anyone, but most who take an active interest do tend to be seniors.

Legion reserves and grants have financed recent renovations to the building, including new laminate floors for dancing and the games room, new windows and a better air-conditioning system.

In mid-2017, Legion directors approved a one-year trial of having an on-site chef. Prior to that, cooking was a volunteer affair, with uneven results.

Food is now available from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. five days a week, and it’s likely the one-year chef trial will be made permanent.

Many Legion branches have been historically conservative, sometimes making news for trying to bar membership to groups like Sikh-Canadians who wear turbans. In Penticton, the Legion has tried to broaden its community outreach, signing a Pride proclamation in 2016 and hosting LGBTQ dances.

“Probably we’d consider something like that, too,” Cashin said. “Sure why not, if it brings in new members.”