Facing tough times, legion asks for help
REGINA When Derek Niedermayer went to Veteran Affairs two years ago, he said he didn’t find much in the way of help there.
“Basically they told me, ‘Go see down at the legion. Maybe they can do something for you. We can’t,’ ” he recalled.
And the Royal Canadian Legion came through.
They helped keep a roof over his head, paid some bills that were piling up and even gave him a job.
“It helps to have a place where you’re around like-minded individuals that you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to say or have to think about how others are going to look at you,” said Niedermayer.
“It’s nice just to have a place where you can actually come and relax.”
But a decline in membership over the years and an extreme revenue drop due to changes in building ownership has forced the legion to dip into savings to keep its doors open.
“The Royal Canadian Legion, Regina Branch 001 has come to a point in our history where we need to reach out to the public and ask for help,” reads the first line in a Gofundme page launched on Oct. 15.
“Our Regina legion, like many others across this great country, have fallen on some tough times. An aging population and the loss of veterans from the First World War and World War II have left us depleted over the years,” it goes on to say.
Created by legion operations manager Jody Hoffman, the campaign has raised a little over $1,000 of its $5,000 goal. Hoffman says continuous help with funding will be needed in order for the legion tosurvive.
“There would be no place for the veterans to come when they do need help,” said Hoffman, if the legion was forced to call it quits.
Established in 1926, RCL Branch 001 was Canada’s first chartered legion.
It offers programs and services to veterans who need mental health and addictions or even financial help.
It also organizes the annual Poppy Fund — the proceeds of which go solely to veterans and their families — and organizes Remembrance Day ceremonies every year at the cenotaph in Victoria Park and the Brandt Centre.
Revenue took a steep tumble about six years ago when a need for extensive renovations resulted in the sale of the building. Hoffman says new ownership turned the main hall into a parkade.
The main hall, which was often rented out by members of the public for weddings, dances and other events, accounted for approximately 70 to 80 per cent of the legion’s revenue.
Now in a smaller space, Hoffman says they don’t have the room to host events like they used to and the Vimy Lounge and Dieppe Cafe do not raise enough revenue to cover their costs, nor does the Saskatchewan Military Museum housed upstairs, admission to which is by donation.
To make matters worse, Hoffman said that during renovations, a lot of people thought the legion had closed down for good.
“We’re working to get it out there that we are still open,” said Hoffman. “We are still here.”
For Niedermayer, the legion is a home away from home that supports him when sometimes no one else can.
“We don’t have a lot of options here in Saskatchewan like a lot of the bigger centres do,” he said. “The legion does everything it can to help the veterans and I want that to continue.”
It’s also a place that keeps him busy. Niedermayer volunteers with the cadets, helps give presentations at local schools, is co-chair of the Poppy Fund and works at the legion’s cafe.
“Most of the time, if I’m not here, I’m honestly sitting at home on my couch and just kind of staying away from people,” he said.
“A lot of us don’t really have anywhere to go or anywhere we feel comfortable.
“(The legion is) a place where they understand what a lot of people went through and what the military lifestyle is like.”
Hoffman said the new owners rent the space to the legion for $10 a month, an arrangement to last 10 years. But the legion is responsible for paying operating costs, which are about $15,000 a month.
The legion serves approximately 150 veterans, but Hoffman said she suspects there are many more in the city who either don’t know about the services it offers or just don’t come in for help.
She emphasized that you don’t need to be a member to get help from the legion and you also don’t need to have a military connection in order to spend time at the lounge or cafe — everybody is welcome.
“Help the legion survive. Whether it’s volunteering or donating ... to the Gofundme. Every little bit helps,” urged Niedermayer. “This is a place that I ... never want to see close because I don’t know where most veterans would turn.”