Cloverdale Legion in need of volunteers for poppy campaign<\/p>\n
Published 10:00 pm Thursday, October 29, 2026<\/p>\n
Do you want to volunteer to help the Legion?<\/p>\n
Susie Chamberlain said the Legion still needs poppy taggers to fill spots in both Cloverdale and Langley.<\/p>\n
Chamberlain, Poppy Campaign chair for Cloverdale\u2019s Branch No. 6, said anyone who\u2019s interested can reach out.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Poppy Campaign officially kicked off Oct. 24 and while the Cloverdale Legion has a lot of volunteers, there are still many empty squares on their schedule board at the branch.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery one of those open spots represents a need,\u201d Chamberlain explained. \u201cA lot of our usual (poppy taggers) are getting older, so we need some younger people to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the board only covers the major locations. They have many smaller places that aren\u2019t shown.<\/p>\n
Chamberlain, said some of the older volunteers can\u2019t do as many shifts as they used to. Many have cut back to one or two per week.<\/p>\n
She said cadets help on weekends\u2014the Legion doesn\u2019t allow the kids to volunteer during the week, nor are they allowed to poppy tag at liquor stores\u2014but the real need is Monday to Friday on one of their three set shifts: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 to 4 p.m., or 4 to 7 p.m. The shifts run up until Remembrance Day.<\/p>\n
Chamberlain said the hardest shift to fill is the weekday 4-7 p.m. slot.<\/p>\n
New this year, Chamberlain said players on the Cloverdale Hockey Club have been volunteering. You can find the junior hockey players outside the Cloverdale Save-On and outside No Frills in Clover Square Village. (Cloverdale HC recently enjoyed a 13-game win streak\u2014a record in their league, the PJHL.)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the newbies; we need the young guys,\u201d she said. \u201cThe hockey team has helped, but they can\u2019t cover all the places we need. They\u2019ve been great and all they asked for was poppy stickers so they could put them on their helmets.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the volunteers they do have, Chamberlain said they are very dedicated\u2014many taking multiple shifts day after day.<\/p>\n
She said power poppy tagger Wayne King is still going strong. He\u2019s 92 and still goes out during the week. King, unlike all the others, is a \u201cfree-tagger,\u201d if you will.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t like to have a territory,\u201d Chamberlain laughed. \u201cHe wants to go where he wants to go. So, he\u2019ll wander all over Cloverdale-Langley.\u201d<\/p>\n
King\u2019s name is not on the board, of course.<\/p>\n
Chamberlain said it takes an army to get the campaign rolled out and an army to sustain it.<\/p>\n
This is her fourth year running the Poppy Campaign for Branch No. 6.<\/p>\n
The branch in Langley City that covered the western side of that community closed years ago and Cloverdale and Aldergrove have covered the area ever since. As such, the need for poppy taggers is immense.<\/p>\n
Chamberlain said many locations remain unfilled and they are only asking for a few hours commitment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could use several more people,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
This year, Chamberlain is selling unique, handmade poppies at the branch. A Legion member made them and they are available for a $5 minimum donation. But supplies are limited.<\/p>\n
This year the Legion continues its Digital Poppy Campaign as well. Donors can visit mypoppy.ca<\/a> to purchase a digital poppy that can then be shared on social media. The digital poppy has an option to include the name of a veteran, if one chooses.<\/p>\n